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TRAVELS 


ASSYRIA,    MEDIA,   AND    PERSIA, 

INCLUDING 

A  JOURNEY  FROM  BAGDAD  BY  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

TO 

HAMADAN,  THE  ANCIENT  ECBATANA, 
RESEARCHES  IN 

ISPAHAN  AND  THE  RUINS  OF  PERSEPOLIS, 

AND    JOURNEY    FROM    THENCE 

BY   SHIRAZ  AND    SHAPOOR  TO  THE  SEA-SHORE ;   DESCRIPTION   OF  BUSSORAH, 
BUSHIRE,  BAHREIN,   ORMUZ,  AND  MUSCAT;    NARRATIVE  OF  AN  EXPEDI- 
TION AGAINST  THE  PIRATES  OF  THE   PERSIAN  GULF;  WITH    ILLUS- 
TRATIONS   OF  THE   VOYAGE  OF   NEARCHUS,  AND    PASSA<JE 
BY  THE  ARABIAN  SEA  TO  BOMBAY. 


BY  J.  S.  BUCKINGHAM, 


AUTHOR    OF    TRAVELS    IN    PALESTINE    AND    THE    COUNTRIES    EAST    OF   THE    JORDAN  ;   TRAVELS 
AMONG    THE    ARAB    TRIBES  ;    AND    TRAVELS    IN    MESOPOTAMIA  ;    MEMBER    OF   THE 
LITERARY    SOCIETIES    OF    BOMBAY    AND   MADRAS,    AND    OF   THE 
ASIATIC   SOCIETY    OF    BENGAL. 


SECOND  EDITION. 

IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 

VOL.  I. 


LONDON  : 

HENRY  COLBURN  AND  RICHARD  BENTLEY, 

NEW  BURLINGTON  STREET. 

1830. 


LONDON : 

PRINTED    BY    SAMUEL    BENTLEY, 

Dorset  Street,  Fleet  Street. 


,(,f'^^-" 


TO 

Sm  CHARLES  FORBES,  BART.  M.P. 

ESPECIALLY  DISTINGUISHED  AS  THE  WARM  AND  STEADY  FRIEND  OF  OUR 

ASIATIC  FELLOW-SUBJECTS  IN  INDIA, 

AS  WELL  AS  THE  BENEVOLENT  ADVOCATE  AND  PROMOTER  OF 

THE  FREEDOM  AND  HAPPINESS  OF  MAN,  WITHOUT  DISTINCTION  OF 

COLOUR,  CASTE,  OR  COUNTRY, 

THESE  VOLUMES  OF  TRAVELS, 

COMMENCING  AT  BAGDAD  AND  TERMINATING  AT  BOMBAY, 

ARE  HUMBLY  INSCRIBED, 

AS  A  TRIBUTE  OF  GRATITUDE,  ESTEEM,  AND 

REGARD,  BY  HIS 

FAITHFUL  AND  AFFECTIONATE  FRIEND, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


a2 


PREFACE 

TO   THE    FIRST   EDITION. 


In  presenting  to  the  Public  a  Fourth 
Work  of  Travels  in  the  Eastern  World,  I 
am  not  without  the  apprehension  that  this 
portion  of  my  labours  may  be  thought  to 
have  been  executed  with  less  care  and  at- 
tention than  preceding  ones.  It  has  un- 
questionably been  my  desire,  as  well  as  my 
interest,  to  make  them  all  equally  worthy 
of  public  approbation  ;  but  the  circumstances 
under  which  each  of  the  several  volumes 
were  prepared,  and  over  which  circumstances 
I  had  no  power  of  control,  differed  so  ma- 


VI  PREFACE. 

terially   from    each    other,    that   this   alone 
would    be     sufficient    to   account    for    still 
greater   variations   in    their  execution  than 
is  even    likely    to   be   discovered   in   them. 
The  Travels  in  Palestine  were  prepared  in 
India,  under  the   disadvantages  of  absence 
from  books  and  authorities  essential  to  their 
illustration  ;   but,   on    the  other  hand,  with 
the  advantage  of  more  complete  leisure  than 
it  has  ever  since  been  my  good  fortune  to 
enjoy.     The   Travels  in    the    Decapolis,    or 
Hauran,  and  Countries  east   of  the  Jordan 
and    the  Dead  Sea,    were   written    out   for 
publication    entirely  on    ship-board,    during 
a    stormy    and    disagreeable    passage    from 
India,  under  circumstances  of  the  most  pain- 
fully oppressive  nature,  and  the  most  hos- 
tile to  calm  and  abstracted  literary  compo- 
sition ;    but,  on  the  other  hand,  with  the  ad- 
vantage of  freedom  from  all  other  occupa- 
tion, and  ample  command  of  time,  whenever 
the  intervals  of  moderate  weather  admitted 
of  writing.      The  Travels    in  Mesopotamia 


PREFACE.  Vll 

were  written  and  arranged  in  London,  under 
the  disadvantage  of  repeated  interruptions 
from  ill-health,  and  the  anxiety  and  labour 
dependent  on  the  prosecution  of  my  claims 
for  redress  of  injuries  done  me  by  the  Go- 
vernment of  India,  before  a  Parliamentary 
Committee ;  but  with  the  advantage  of  a 
mind  more  at  ease  than  it  had  been  for  seven 
years  before:  my  perseverance  having  been 
just  then  rewarded  by  a  complete  triumph 
over  the  traducers  of  my  personal  character 
and  literary  reputation,  the  tribunal  to  which 
I  appealed  having  completely  vindicated  all 
my  claims,  and  put  to  shame  the  wickedness 
of  my  accusers.  The  Travels  in  Assyria 
Media,  and  Persia,  which  form  the  present 
Volume,  and  complete  the  Series  of  the  con- 
tinuous Route  followed  in  my  overland 
Journey  to  India,  have  been  prepared  under 
circumstances  which  are  probably  without  a 
parallel  in  the  history  of  literary  undertak- 
ings, and  may  at  least  excuse  many  imper- 
fections, which,  under  other  and  more  favour- 


VIU  PREFACE. 

able  auspices,  could  not  claim  such  indul- 
gence.    The  favourable  reception  given  to 
the  previous  Volumes,  and  the  natural  desire 
to  have  the  Series  completed  by  the  publi- 
cation of  the  present,  combined  to  urge  its 
early  appearance :  but  being,  at  the  period 
of  commencing  its  preparation  for  the  press, 
almost  incessantly  occupied,  by  having  in  my 
own  hands  the  Editorship  of  a  Daily  and  a 
Weekly  Political  Journal,  and  of  a  Weekly 
and  a   Monthly  Literary   Journal,  I  could 
only  hope  to  accomplish  the  task  of  bringing 
out  this  Work,  in  a  manner  at  all  worthy  of 
acceptance,  by  devoting  a  portion  of  those 
hours  which  are   ordinarily  given   to  recre- 
ation and  repose,  to  the  labour  which  such 
an  undertaking   involved.     This   resolution 
was    accordingly    made,    and    has    been    at 
length  faithfully  redeemed  ;  for  I  may  truly 
say,  that  not  a  single  page   of  it  has  been 
written,  arranged,  corrected,  or  revised,  but 
after  the  hours  at  which  even  the  most  stu- 
dious  generally    repair  to    their   couch,    to 


PREFACE.  IX 

recruit  by  sleep  the   exhaustion  caused  by 
the  labours  of  the  day. 

That,  under  the  circumstances  described, 
errors  of  style  and  defects  of  arrangement 
should  appear,  will  not  be  deemed  wonder- 
ful ;  and  that,  under  other  circumstances,  the 
task  might  have  been  more  satisfactorily  ex- 
ecuted, cannot  admit  of  doubt.  But,  when 
it  is  not  possible  to  do  all  we  desire,  and 
in  the  very  best  manner  we  could  wish,  it 
is  better  to  endeavour  to  execute  our  duty 
in  the  best  manner  that  we  are  able,  than 
altogether  to  abandon  the  attempt  as  im- 
practicable. It  is  on  this  maxim,  at  least, 
that  I  have  acted  ;  and  it  is  rather  in  exte- 
nuation of  imperfections,  which  this  neces- 
sarily brings  in  its  train,  than  from  any  other 
motive,  that  I  have  ventured  at  all  to  allude 
to  the  subject.  It  will  complete  the  picture 
of  hurried  and  interrupted  composition,  if  I 
state,  what  is  literally  the  fact,  that  having 
left  London  on  business  of  some  import-^ 
ance,  which   called  me  to  cross    the  Chan- 


X  PREFACE. 

,  nel  to  Guernsey,  and  being  driven  back  by 
tempestuous  weather,  in  the  Watersprite, 
which  made  an  ineffectual  attempt  to  ac- 
complish the  passage,  and,  though  one  of 
the  finest  steam-packets  in  the  service,  was 
obliged  to  bear  up,  and  anchor  again  in 
Weymouth  Roads  at  midnight,  I  am  now 
writing  this  Preface,  in  the  Travellers'  Room 
of  the  Crown  Inn,  at  Melcombe  Regis,  with 
an  animated  conversation  passing  all  around 
me  among  the  enquiring  and  intelligent  fel- 
low-passengers who  are  occupants  of  the 
same  apartment.  Having  pledged  myself 
to  the  Publisher,  to  finish  every  part  of 
my  task  before  a  given  day,  this  cannot  be 
deferred  till  my  return,  and  is  therefore 
thus  hurriedly  completed  :  but  it  is  at  least 
in  keeping  with  the  whole  picture,  that  a 
Work  begun  amidst  the  conflicting  duties 
and  labours  of  four  separate  and  volumi- 
nous Journals,  already  described,  should  be 
terminated  by  a  hasty  sketch  like  this,  in 
the    interval    of    a    stormy    passage  by    sea, 


PREFACE.  XI 

and  in  the  momentary  expectation  of  seeing 
the  signal  for  immediate  re-embarkation 
displayed. 

I  cannot  conclude,  however,  even  this  im- 
perfect address,  vrithout  saying  a  word  or 
two  on  the  subject  of  the  Illustrations,  and 
the  typographical  execution  of  the  Work. 
To  Colonel  Johnson,  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany's Engineers,  I  am  indebted  for  the 
beautiful  View  of  Muscat,  which  was  painted 
by  Witherington,  from  a  sketch  of  Colonel 
Johnson's,  and  engraved  by  Jeavons,  on  a 
reduced  scale,  for  Mr.  Pringle's  Annual, 
'  The  Friendship's  Offering,'  a  copy  of  which 
Colonel  Johnson  kindly  permitted  me  to 
take.  To  the  same  friend  I  am  also  in- 
debted for  a  View  of  the  Entrance  to  the 
Harbour  of  Bombay,  with  the  several  cha- 
racteristic features  of  a  trankee,  a  peculiar 
kind  of  boat;  fishing-stakes,  marking  the 
boundaries  of  certain  banks,  secured  from 
general  navigation ;  and  a  fisherman  on  a 
catamaran,  a  rude  raft,  of  three  logs  of  wood, 


xii  PREFACE. 

encountering  and  killing  a  sword-fish,  larger 
than  himself  and  his  raft  together ;  all  of 
which  are  accurate  delineations  of  real  and 
natural  objects  seen  at  Bombay :  but  which, 
by  some  irremediable  oversight,  has  been 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  Chapter  descrip- 
tive of  Bussorah,  on  the  Euphrates,  the  chief 
port  of  the  Persian  Gulf.  To  the  kindness 
of  my  friend,  Mr.  James  Baillie  Frazer,  the 
intelligent  author  of  a  Tour  in  the  Hima- 
lya  Mountains,  and  a  Journey  in  Khoras- 
san,  I  owe  the  two  interesting  views  of  the 
Ruins  of  Persepolis  seen  under  the  aspect 
of  an  approaching  storm,  and  the  Ruins  of 
Ormuz,  with  its  sweeping  bay  of  anchorage. 
With  these  exceptions,  the  Illustrations  of 
the  Work  to  the  number  of  twenty-six,  are 
from  original  sketches  of  the  scenes  and 
objects  described,  taken  in  the  course  of  the 
journey,  and  completed  from  descriptions 
noted  on  the  spot.  The  manner  in  which 
these  have  all  been  drawn  on  the  wood  by 
Mr.  W.  H.  Brooke,  and  in  which  the  greater 


PREFACE.  xiii 

part  of  them  have  been  executed  by  the 
respective  engravers,  whose  names  appear  in 
the  list,  is  such  as,  I  hope,  will  confirm  the 
established  reputation  of  the  artists  them- 
selves, at  the  same  time  that  they  cannot  fail 
to  gratify  as  well  as  to  instruct  the  reader. 
The  typography  may  fairly  challenge  a  com- 
parison for  beauty  with  the  production  of 
any  press  in  the  kingdom. 

And  now,  having  said  thus  much  in  indi- 
cation of  what  I  am  sure  will  be  admitted 
as  merits,  being  the  production  of  other 
hands ;  and  in  extenuation  of  what  I  am 
ready  to  admit  as  defects,  being  the  produc- 
tion of  my  own ;  I  commend  these  hurried 
labours  to*  the  indulgent  spirit  of  my  intelli- 
gent countrymen ;  sincerely  wishing  them 
perpetual  exemption  from  all  the  privations 
and  inconveniences  which  they  will  find  de- 
tailed in  the  ensuing  pages,  and  which  are 
inseparable  from  travelling  in  countries  so 
far  removed  from  our  own  in  habits,  man- 
ners, and  usages,  as  well  as  in  geographical 


XIV  PREFACE. 

distance  ;  and  assuring  them,  that  if  the  per- 
formance of  these  journeys  occasioned  me 
more  suffering  than  I  should  again  be  wilL 
ing  to  undergo,  the  retrospect  affords  me 
a  continual  and  inexhaustible  source  of 
agreeable  associations  ;  and  that  I  shall  con- 
sider myself  amply  rewarded  for  all  I  have 
undergone,  if  I  have  the  happiness  to  find 
that  the  humble  record  of  whatever  I  may 
have  deemed  worthy  of  observation  in* other 
countries,  may  be  thought  to  deserve  the 
approbation  of  the  enquiring  and  intellectual 
classes  in  my  own. 

J.  S.  BUCKINGHAM. 

Weymouth,  Noik  16/^,  1828. 


CONTENTS 

OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


Page 

CHAPTER  I. 

From  Bagdad,  across  the  Diala,  to  Kesrabad  or  Da- 

stagherd       .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     .    1 

CHAP.  II. 

From  Dastagherd  to  Artemita,  or  Khan-e-Keen,  and 
from  thence  to  Hellowla,  or  Kassr-Shirine  .       53 

CHAP.  III. 

From  Hellowla,  by  the  Plain  of  Bajilan,  to  Zohaub 
and  Serpool  .......       79 

CHAP.  IV. 

From  Serpool,  across  the  Chain  of  Mount  Zagros,  by 
the  Pass  of  the  Arch  .....       94 

CHAP.  V. 

Visits  at  Kermanshah  to  the  Friends  of  my  Com- 
panion .         .  ......     133 


XVI  CONTENTS, 

•  Page 

CHAP.  VI. 

Description   of   Kermanshah,    one  of  the   Frontier 

Towns  of  Persia 172 

CHAP.  VII. 

Visit  to  the  Antiquities  of  Tauk-e-Bostan         .         .     202 

CHAP.  VIII. 

From  Kermanshah  to  Bisitoon  and  Kengawar — At- 
tack of  Robbers 238 

CHAP.  IX. 

Entry  into  Hamadan — the  Site  of  the  Ancient  Ec- 
batana  ........     281 

*  CHAP.  X. 

From  Hamadan,   by  Alfraoon,   Kerdakhourd,   and 
Giaour-se,  to  Goolpyegan  ....     297 

CHAP.  XI. 

From  Goolpyegan,  by  Rhamatabad,    Dehuck,  and 
Chal-Seeah,  to  Ispahan 326 

CHAP.  XII. 

Ispahan — Early    Settlement   of  the   Jews — Persian 
Dramatic  Story-Tellers  and  Singers  .         .     348 

CHAP.  XIII. 

Ispahan — Visit  to  the  Governor  of  the  City — Persian 

Entertainment — Palace — Gardens,  &c.         . .         .     373 

^^  CHAP.  XXV. 

Ispahan — Visit  to  the  principal  Mosques  and  Col- 
leges of  the  City  ...  .         .     389 


CONTENTS.  XVll 

Page 

CHAP.  XV. 

Ispahan — Palace  of  our  Residence — Paintings — Gar- 
dens— Distant  View  of  the  City  .         .         .     403 

CHAP.  XVI. 

Departure  from   Ispahan — and  Journey  by  Ammee- 
nabad  and  Yezdikhaust  to  Persepolis  .         .     421 

CHAP.  XVII. 

Visit  to  the  Ruins  of  Persepoh's,  and  Journey  from 
thence  to  Shiraz  ......     476 


voL.  I. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


MAP      OF     PERSIA, 
ROUTE 


AVITH     A     SKETCH      OF       THE      AUTHORS 

to  face  the  title,  Vol.  I. 


VOL.  I. 

To  face  Chap,  Subject  of  the  Drawing.  Ei 

1  Assembling  of  the  Caravan,  under  the  Walls  of  Bagdad 

2  Bridge  across  the  River  Silwund 

3  Open  Square,  or  Market  Place  of  Zohaub 

4  Ascent  to  the  Pass  over  Mount  Zagros 

5  Persian  Hall,  and  Evening  Entertainment 

6  Interior  of  Persian  Bath  at  Kermanshah 

7  Arch  of  the  Garden,  or  Tauk-e-Bostan 

8  Encounter  with  Robbers  near  Kengawar 

9  Hamadan  and  Mount  Alwund,  the  ancient  Ecbatana  . . 

10  Kherdakhoud  and  surrounding  Country 

1 1  Mountains,  and  distant  View  of  Ispahan 

12  Street,  Mosque,  and  Bazaar,  in  Ispahan 

13  Royal  Palace  of  Shah  Abbas,  at  Ispahan 

14  Great  Square  and  Front  of  the  Royal  Mosque,  at  Ispahan 
16  View  of  Ispahan  from  an  Eminence  overlooking  the  City 

16  Fire  Temples  of  the  ancient  Disciples  of  Zoroaster 

17  Ruins  of  the  Great  Temple  at  Persepolis 

VOL.  II. 

1  City  of  Shiraz,  as  seen  from  without  the  Walls 

2  Steep  Mountain  Pass  of  Kotel  Dokhter 

3  Town  of  Kauzeroon  at  the  foot  of  a  range  of  hills 

4  Town  of  Bushire,  from  the  approach  by  land  . . 
6  Boat-Entrance  to  the  Harbour  of  Bombay 

6  Port  of  Bushire,  as  approached  from  the  Sea     . . 

7  Ruins  of  Ormuz,  with  its  Town  and  Bay 

8  Ras-el-Khyma,  the  Chief  Port  of  the  Wahabee  Pirates 

9  Harbour,  Town,  and  Fortifications  of  Muscat  , . 


gravers.  Page 

Mosses 

1 

J.  Dodd 

53 

White 

79 

Jackson 

94 

Mason 

133 

D.  Dodd 

172 

Williams 

202 

Slader 

238 

Branston 

281 

Wright 

297 

Mason 

326 

Lee 

348 

Jackson 

373 

Bonner 

389 

Williams 

403 

Lee 

421 

D.  Dodd 

476 

Bonner 

1 

Williams 

46 

White 

78 

Byfield 

102 

White 

126 

Byfield 

208 

J.  Dodd 

251 

Slader 

338 

J.  Dodd 

392 

CHAPTER  I. 


ASSEMBLING  OF  THE  CARAVAN,  UNDER  THE  WALLS  OF  BAGDAD. 


Published  by  Henry  Colburn,  8  New  Burlington  Street.    Jan.  1, 1839. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FROM    BAGDAD,    ACROSS    THE    DIALA,    TO    KES- 
RABAD    OR    DASTAGHERD. 

After  my  journey  from  Aleppo  to  Bag- 
dad, by  a  circuitous  route  through  Mesopo- 
tamia, a  severe  fever,  followed  by  extreme 
exhaustion,  rendered  repose  more  than  usu- 
ally agreeable  to  me:  and  I  was  fortunate  in 
finding,  in  the  ancient  City  of  the  Caliphs, 
all  the  comforts  of  an  English  home,  in  the 
house  of  the  British  Resident,  Mr.  Rich,  and 
the  society  of  his  amiable  family.  My  course 
being  directed  to  India,  enquiries  had  been 
made  as  to  the  comparative  facilities  of  pro- 
secuting the  remainder  of  my  way  to  "  the 
further  East,"  by  descending  the  Tigris 
and  Euphrates  to  Bussorah,  and  going  from 
thence  on  ship-board  down  the  Persian  Gulf, 
or  accompanying  some  caravan  into   Persia 

VOL.    I.  B 


2  FROM   BAGDAD,    ACROSS   THE    DIALA, 

by  land,  and  passing  through  Kermanshah, 
Hamadan,  Ispahan,  and  Shiraz  to  Bushire, 
where  vessels  for  Bombay  were  always  to 
be  found.  After  much  consideration,  the 
latter  course  was  adopted,  as  being,  on  the 
whole,  more  favourable  to  certainty  and 
expedition,  as  well  as  attended  with  the 
advantage  of  a  better  climate,  which,  con- 
sidering my  state  of  debility  from  previous 
suffering,  and  the  intense  heat  of  the  season 
that  still  prevailed,  was  a  matter  of  the  first 
importance.  The  last  days  of  my  stay  at 
Bagdad  were  therefore  passed  in  making 
preparations  for  the  further  prosecution  of 
my  Eastern  journey  by  this  route. 

Sept.  3rd. — We  had  been  put  off,  from 
day  to  day,  with  assurances  of  a  Persian 
Ambassador's  being  about  to  return  to  Te- 
heran, in  whose  train  we  might  make  a 
safe  entry  into  Persia.  He  had  performed 
his  pilgrimage  to  the  tombs  of  Ali  and 
Hossein,  as,  well  as  to  that  of  Imam  Moosa, 
near  Bagdad,  and  now  only  wanted  the  per- 
mission of  the  Pasha  to  commence  his  jour- 
ney homeward.  This  had  been  promised 
him  at  every  morning's  divan,  so  that  we 
waited   to  set  out   with  him.      It  was  now 


TO    KESRABAD    OR   DASTAGHERD.  3 

publicly  signified,  however,  that  as  some  of 
the  troops  of  his  Sovereign  were  at  this 
moment  in  Koordistan,  supporting  intrigues 
among  the  Pashas  who  are  nominally  de- 
pendent on  Bagdad,  he  could  not  be  suffered 
to  depart  from  hence  until  news  should 
reach  of  these  troops  having  been  withdrawn. 

A  large  party  of  Persian  pilgrims,  who  had 
been  waiting,  with  ourselves,  for  many  days, 
to  profit  by  this  occasion,  for  the  sake  of  pro- 
tection, now  determined  therefore  to  set  out 
without  it,  and  rely  on  their  own  strength 
for  defence.  We  began  accordingly  to  pre- 
pare for  our  journey,  as  I  had  determined 
to  delay  no  longer,  but  to  accompany  them. 

The  future  companion  of  my  way  was  an 
Afghan  Dervish,  named  Hadjee  Ismael, — 
one  who,  besides  his  own  tongue,  understood 
Persian,  Turkish,  and  Arabic,  was  of  a  cheer- 
ful temper,  well  known  on  the  road,  and 
neither  so  impudent  nor  so  ignorant  as  most 
of  those  who  belong  to  his  class.  He  was 
acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  first  en- 
gravers on  stone  in  all  the  East,  and  had 
executed  some  seals  and  rings  for  Mr.  Rich, 
which  were  finer  than  any  this  gentleman 
had  seen  even  in  Constantinople. 

B   2 


4  FROM    BAGDAD,    ACROSS   THE    DIALA, 

With  a  very  ordinary  degree  of  industry 
and  application,  this  man  might  have  ac- 
quired a  moderate  share  of  wealth ;  but,  in 
becoming  a  Dervish  he  had  followed  the 
strong  bent  of  his  natural  inclination, — 
which  was  to  renounce  the  sordid  cares  of 
this  world,  to  live  a  life  of  indolence  and 
pleasure,  and  to  move  from  place  to  place  for 
the  sake  of  that  variety  of  incident  and  cha- 
racter which  he  loved  to  meet  and  to  observe. 

Such  a  companion  was  in  many  respects 
very  congenial  to  my  wishes  ;  and  what  ren- 
dered him  more  so  in  this  particular  in- 
stance was,  that  it  was  his  own  desire  that 
I  should  pass  with  him  as  a  Mussulman,  un- 
der the  name  of  Hadjee  Abdallah,  ibn  Su- 
liman,  min  Massr :  i.  e.  "  The  Pilgrim  Ab- 
dallah, (the  Slave  of  God,)  the  Son  of  So- 
lomon, from  Egypt."  He  had  even  engraved 
a  ring  for  me  with  this  name  on  it,  offered 
to  assist  me  in  reading  the  Koran,  and  to 
become  my  voucher  on  all  occasions,  pro- 
vided I  would  constantly  support  the  cha- 
racter of  a  Mohammedan,  and  state  myself 
to  be  an  Arab  of  Egypt,  since  that  was  still 
the  accent  of  my  Arabic,  and  that  the  coun- 
try with  which  I  was  most  familiar. 


TO    KESRABAD    OR   DASTAGHERD.  O 

The  disadvantages  of  such  a  companion 
were  only  these ; — that  I  should  be  obliged 
on  all  occasions  to  be  my  own  groom,  cook, 
and  servant ;  and  on  some  occasions  per- 
haps his  also,  from  our  being  so  completely 
on  a  level ;  but  for  all  this  I  was  well  pre- 
pared by  long  previous  discipline. 

The  horses  on  which  we  rode  were  both 
my  own,  with  all  else  that  belonged  to  them, 
as  I  wished  to  be  as  independent  as  possible 
of  assistance.  My  papers,  money,  and  all 
articles  on  which  I  set  any  value,  were  car- 
ried in  a  pair  of  khordj,  or  small  hair-cloth 
bags  across  my  own  saddle;  and  the  rest 
of  the  baggage,  consisting  only  of  a  change 
of  linen  for  myself,  a  coffee-pot,  and  tobacco 
bag,  carpets,  &c.,  for  our  joint  use,  were  car- 
ried beneath  the  Dervish. 

My  own  dress  was  that  of  an  Arab  of  the 
middling  class,  and  my  arms  a  good  lance  of 
fifteen  feet  long,  a  pair  of  pistols,  and  a  Da- 
mascus sword.  Ismael  wore  also  an  Arab 
dress  with  which  I  had  provided  him,  and 
was  armed  with  a  Persian  sword  and  an  Eng- 
lish musket. 

During  my  stay  at  Bagdad,  I  had  collected 
together  such  notes  for  my  journey  as  Mr. 


b  FROM   BAGDAD,   ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

Rich's  library  and  my  own  intervals  of 
health  would  allow  me  to  arrange  ;  and  by 
that  gentleman  I  was  furnished  with  letters 
for  the  governors  of  the  great  towns,  in  the 
event  of  my  needing  them;  so  that  every 
preparation  had  been  made  to  render  our 
journey  both  secure  and  agreeable. 

At  El-Assr,  the  hour  of  prayer  between 
noon  and  sunset,  all  was  ready  for  our  de- 
parture, and  the  moment  came  in  which  I 
was  required  to  take  a  painful  leave  of  the 
individuals  in  whose  society  I  had  been  of 
late  so  happy.  As  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
praise  in  adequate  terms  the  warm  and  ge- 
nerous behaviour  of  every  member  of  that 
circle  towards  me  during  my  stay,  so  it  is 
in  vain  to  attempt  a  description  of  my  own 
feelings  in  quitting  them  :  they  were  as  poig- 
nant as  I  ever  remember  them  on  any  si- 
milar occasion,  for  there  are  few  people  for 
whom  I  ever  felt  more  of  affection  mingled 
with  respect,  after  so  short  a  period  of  ac- 
quaintance, than  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rich. 

We  quitted  Bagdad  by  the  gate  of  Imam 
Azam,  so  called  from  its  leading  to  the  tomb 
of  that  saint,  who  is  venerated  as  the  chief 
of  the  Hanefies,  and   whose   mausoleum   is 


TO    KESRABAD    OR    DASTAGHERD.  7 

about  an  hour's  ride  to  the  north  of  the 
city.  This  was  the  gate  by  which  I  en- 
tered on  my  arrival  here ;  and  being  in  the 
N.  E.  quarter  of  Bagdad,  it  is  the  principal 
point  of  arrival  and  departure  for  all  the 
great  roads  on  the  east  side  of  the  Tigris. 

We  found  a  small  caravan,  composed  of 
about  fifty  persons,  and  as  many  animals,  in 
horses,  mules,  and  asses,  but  no  camels,  as- 
sembled without  the  gate,  and  preparing  to 
load.  As  their  departure  would  be  delayed, 
however,  until  muggrib,  the  hour  of  prayer 
at  sunset,  we  spread  our  carpets  amidst  the 
crowd,  and  sat  patiently  down  to  await  their 
movements. 

I  was  accompanied  thus  far  by  Mr.  Rich's 
Armenian  dragoman,  and  the  Persian  secre- 
tary of  the  Residency,  who  were  charged  to 
see  me  safely  off.  The  chiefs  of  the  caravan 
were  then  introduced  to  me ;  and  as  I  was 
by  far  the  best-dressed  and  best-mounted 
individual  of  the  whole  company,  excepting 
only  those  who  were  of  my  own  party,  the 
Persians  thought  themselves  sufficiently 
honoured  by  sitting  beside  the  Hadjee  Aga, 
the  "  Sir  Pilgrim,"  as  I  was  called,  receiving 
with  great  respect  my  pipe  and  coffee  when 


8  FROM    BAGDAD,   ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

offered  to  them,  and  enquiring  earnestly 
about  Egypt  and  the  City  of  the  Prophet. 

In  all  my  journeys,  I  never  remember  to 
have  seen  such  shabby,  old,  infirm,  ill-dressed, 
ill-equipped,  and  helpless  persons  as  these 
fifty  or  sixty  pilgrims  with  whom  I  was  going 
to  set  out  on  a  road  acknowledged  to  be  a 
dangerous  one.  They  had  all  been  absent 
from  Persia  several  months,  on  a  pilgrimage 
to  the  tombs  of  Imam  Ali  and  Hossein ; 
visiting  also  that  of  Imam  Moosa,  near  Bag- 
dad, and  of  another  Imam  at  Samarra,  the 
city  so  celebrated  in  the  history  of  the  Ca- 
liphs, and  whose  remains  are  still  consider- 
able on  the  banks  of  the  Tigris,  two  days' 
journey  from  hence. 

None  of  them,  however,  had  reached  as 
far  as  Mecca.  In  the  journeys  which  they 
had  already  performed,  they  had  most  of 
them  been  routed  and  plundered  two  or 
three  times  by  the  Arabs  of  the  Desert ;  and 
many  of  them  had  lost  their  companions  by 
fatigue  and  sickness.  The  numbers  carried 
off  in  this  way  are  indeed  considerable ;  for, 
of  the  retinue  of  an  Indian  widow  and  her 
son,  who  came  through  Persia  to  Bussorah, 
twenty  or  thirty  had  died  on  their  way  to 


TO    KESRABAD    OR   DASTAGHERD.  9 

Bagdad,  by  the  river ;  and  advices  had  been 
received  from  Mecca,  of  the  rest  having  been 
taken  off  on  the  road  across  the  Desert,  and 
in  the  country  of  the  Hedjaz  itself. 

It  must  require  a  degree  of  superstitious 
attachment  to  a  religion,  difficult  to  con- 
ceive, to  induce  such  crowds  of  all  classes  to 
run,  from  year  to  year,  the  imminent  risks, 
which  the  performance  of  these  journeys  in- 
volves. The  reason  assigned  by  most  of  the 
Persians  of  the  caravan  whom  we  ques- 
tioned, for  not  going  to  Mecca,  was  the  in- 
adequacy of  their  means,  after  being  plun- 
dered and  stripped ;  and  this  seemed  plau- 
sible enough  :  but  there  were  not  wanting 
many  among  them  who  seemed  to  think  the 
Caaba,  the  sacred  temple  at  Mecca,  an  object 
of  less  veneration  than  the  tomb  of  the  Pro- 
phet at  Medina,  or  than  those  of  the  Caliphs 
and  Imams  already  enumerated ; — in  the 
same  manner  as  by  the  lower  order  of  Greeks 
Saint  George  is  equally  esteemed  with  the 
Messiah  himself,  and  the  Virgin  Mary  ranked 
quite  as  high  as  her  unbegotten  Son  with  the 
same  class  of  Catholics. 

The  dresses  of  our  Persian  companions 
were  of  the  ordinary  fashion  of  their  coun- 


10         FROM    BAGDAD,    ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

try,  consisting  of  a  long  robe  made  tight 
about  the  arms  and  waist,  the  latter  being 
long  and  slender,  the  lower  part  of  the  robe 
representing  a  full  petticoat,  the  breast  co- 
vered by  a  thin  and  coarse  shirt,  and  the 
head-dress  consisting  of  a  conical  cap  of 
black  sheep-skin.  Their  horses  were  of  the 
worst  kind  imaginable,  and  their  arms  and 
caparisons  were  suitably  mean.  It  was  as- 
serted, and  I  believe  with  great  truth,  that 
five  well-mounted  Arabs  of  the  Desert  had 
arrested  and  deliberately  plundered  as  large 
a  party  of  Persian  pilgrims  as  this ;  and  it 
was  even  admitted  by  the  people  of  the  ca- 
ravan themselves,  that  ten  good  horsemen  of 
the  Beni  Lam  tribe  would  be  more  than  a 
match  for  all  their  party  ! 

Among  them  were  some  women,  whose 
veils  struck  me  as  peculiar  ;  these  wore  the 
blue  chequered  cloth  mantle  of  the  Bagdad 
females ;  but  instead  of  the  black  horse-hair 
covering  for  the  face,  they  had  a  large  white 
cotton  veil  tied  round  the  head  like  those  of 
Egypt ;  and  instead  of  the  eyes  being  shown 
through  two  large  holes,  as  in  that  country, 
there  was  a  small  grating  window,  of  about 


TO  KESRABAD  OR  DASTAGHERD.      11 

three  inches  in  length  by  two  in  depth, 
placed  between  the  eyes  and  in  the  centre 
of  the  veil,  apparently  made  of  stout  threads 
crossing  each  other  with  wide  intervals  be- 
tween them. 

The  men  looked  altogether  like  a  tribe 
of  Polish  Jews,  or  old  clothesmen,  mounted 
and  armed  for  some  temporary  expedition 
of  robbery  and  plunder;  and  the  women 
partook  of  all  their  meanness  of  appearance, 
without  making,  however,  the  same  show  of 
arms  to  conceal  their  cowardice. 

At  muggrib,  or  sunset,  three  separate  par- 
ties of  these  women  performed  their  prayers 
in  public,  spreading  a  cloak  on  the  ground  in 
the  usual  way,  but  still  remaining  covered. 
Whether  they  performed  their  previous  ab- 
lutions above  the  ankles  and  elbows  as  the 
men,  I  did  not  perceive,  as  I  saw  them  only 
after  they  had  begun.  It  was  the  first  time 
of  my  ever  having  seen  women  pray  thus 
publicly  in  a  crowd,  or  thus  encumbered 
with  their  veils  and  outer  envelope  ;  and  this 
last  circumstance  sufficiently  embarrassed 
them  in  making  the  prescribed  genuflections. 

We  were  not  all  in  movement  until  the 


12         FROM    BAGDAD,    ACROSS    THE   DIALA, 

sun  had  completely  set,  and  yielded  up  his 
empire  to  the  milder  queen  of  night.*  The 
course  we  took  was  about  north-east  by 
north,  for  the  first  three  hours,  which  led 
us  over  a  bare  plain  of  fine  earthy  soil, 
wanting  only  water  to  render  it  fertile.  Over 
this  were  so  many  tracks  of  animals  that  we 
got  twice  into  a  wrong  path,  at  this  short 
distance  only  from  Bagdad. 

At  the  end  of  about  three  hours,  we 
reached  a  small  building  near  a  well,  which 
produces,  in  the  winter  only,  a  scanty  supply 
of  brackish  water.  This  is  called  "  Orta 
Bir,"  a  compound  of  Turkish  and  Arabic, 
signifying  "  the  half-way  well,"  from  an  idea 
that  it  is  just  midway  between  Bagdad  and 
the  first  caravanserai  to  the  east  of  it.  There 
were  here  many  mounds  which  appeared  to 
be  of  fine  earth,  and  formed  perhaps  the 
sides  of  channels  for  filling  the  well  with 
rain-water ;  but  as  we  had  seen  near  this 
several  small  heaps,  with  a  few  scattered 
bricks  in  the  way,  there  might  possibly  have 

*  One  must  travel  in  the  parched  deserts  of  the  East,  to  feel 
the  full  force  of  the  contrast  between  the  burning  day  and 
gentle  night,  and  to  understand  the  Oriental  admiration  of 
the  moon  and  stars. 


TO    KESRABAD    Oil    DASTAGHERD.  IS 

been  buildings  of  some  description  or  other 
along  it.  The  people  of  the  country,  in- 
deed, have  a  singular  traditionary  notion, 
that  all  the  plain  from  the  Tigris  to  the 
mountains  was  once  covered  by  the  great 
city  of  Cufa,  of  which  they  know  perfectly 
well  the  name  and  the  celebrity,  but  seem- 
ingly little  else.  The  ruins  of  the  city  are 
thought  to  be  recognised  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river  to  the  west,  below  Bagdad. 

From  the  well,  our  course  went  nearly  a 
point  more  northerly;  and  after  going  for 
two  hours  on  a  similar  road,  we  reached  the 
khan,  or  caravanserai,  called  also  "  Orta 
Khan,"  from  an  idea  of  its  being  midway 
between  Bagdad  and  Bakouba.  The  khan 
appeared  to  be  small,  and  built  of  bricks. 
A  few  huts  were  seen  near  it,  and  the  bark- 
ing of  dogs  showed  these  to  be  inhabited ; 
but  as  we  passed  through,  leaving  the  dwell- 
ings on  our  right,  and  the  khan  on  our  left, 
without  alighting,  we  saw  none  of  the  people 
of  the  place. 

We  had  hitherto  travelled  in  very  strag- 
gling order;  and  the  Persians  often  sang 
some  popular  song,  which  drew  forth  at 
intervals  loud  shouts  in  chorus ;  but  as  the 


14  FROM   BAGDAD,    ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

moon  declined,  we  marched  in  closer  order, 
and  all  was  more  silent,  evidently  from  fear. 

We  continued  from  hence  on  a  line  of 
about  north-east,  for  four  hours,  without  any 
prospect  to  break  the  monotony  of  the  road ; 
when,  as  the  Pleiades,  Aldebaran,  Orion's 
Belt,  and  Jupiter,  formed  altogether  a  splen- 
did train  in  the  eastern  heavens,  and  were 
shining  with  unusual  brilliance,  the  first 
blush  of  day  appeared,  and  we  began  to  dis- 
cern some  thick  groves  of  palm-trees  before 
us,  and  soon  afterwards  came  on  the  banks 
of  the  Diala. 

The  river  was  flowing  here  in  a  deep  but 
narrow  bed,  from  north  to  south,  though  be- 
low this  it  turned  off  about  south-south- 
westerly. The  western  bank  of  the  stream 
was  the  steepest,  and  represented  a  cliff  of 
stratified  earth  in  horizontal  lines,  about  fif- 
ty feet  in  height.  The  river  itself  seemed 
scarcely  of  greater  breadth  than  this,  and, 
excepting  some  deep  water  near  the  west- 
ern shore,  we  forded  it  easily.  The  water 
was  sweet  and  clear,  and  the  rate  of  the 
stream  little  more  than  a  mile  per  hour. 
From  hence,  when  the  day  more  clearly 
broke,  we  obtained  the  first  sight  of  a  range 


TO  KESRABAD  OR  DASTAGHERD.      15 

of  low  hills  to  the  eastward  of  us,  distant  ap- 
parently from  thirty  to  forty  miles,  their 
general  direction  seeming  to  be  from  north- 
west to  south-east,  and  their  outlines  smooth. 
Ascending  the  eastern  shore,  which  was 
thickly  covered  with  palms,  we  went  for 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  east,  and  then 
turning  to  the  left,  entered  some  lanes  be- 
tween garden-walls  of  mud,  which  led  us 
into  Bakouba,  where  the  caravan  dispersed, 
and  we  ourselves  alighted  at  a  public  khan. 

Sept.  4th. — When  the  necessary  duties  of 
the  day  had  been  completed,  and  w^e  had  fed 
and  reposed,  we  strolled  together  around 
the  place.  It  is  a  large  straggling  village, 
formed  of  mud-built  dwellings,  gardens,  date- 
grounds,  &c.  all  intermingled,  with  a  poor 
bazar  and  two  small  mosques.  The  inhabi- 
tants do  not  exceed  two  thousand,  all  of 
whom  are  Arabs,  and  nearly  half  of  these 
Sheeahs  or  of  the  Persian  sect.  The  place  is 
under  the  command  of  Yusef  Aga,  who  is 
dependent  on  Assad  Pasha  of  Bagdad ;  its 
produce  is  purely  agricultural,  and  this  very 
scanty. 

The  old  city  of  Bakouba  is  well  known  in 
Mohammedan   history ;    but  this  was  much 


16         FROM    BAGDAD,    ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 


1 


farther  eastward.  De  Sacy,  in  his  Memoirs 
on  the  Antiquities  of  Persia,  says :  "  There 
are  two  Bakoubas, — one  at  the  extremity  of 
the  province  of  Nahrvan,  the  other  only  ten 
parasangs,  or  ten  leagues,  from  Bagdad,"* 
which  last  he  thinks  to  be  the  Aakoube  of 
Thevenot.f  The  distance  seems  very  accu- 
rate, as  we  had  been  full  nine  hours  in  per- 
forming it,  and,  being  all  lightly  laden,  had 
gone  somewhat  more  than  three  miles  an 
hour. 

The  language  of  the  village  is  Arabic, 
though  Turkish  is  understood  by  many,  and 
Persian  and  Koordish  by  a  few. 

From  all  the  enquiries  which  I  made  of 
the  people  here  respecting  the  source  of  the 
Diala,  I  could  learn  nothing  definite.  All 
agreed  that  it  arose  in  the  mountains  of 
Koordistan,  and  the  most  general  distance 
assigned  to  it  was  three  days'  journey  to  the 
north-east.  No  one  knew  of  any  tributary 
stream  flowing  into  it  from  the  west  of  its 
main  body,  though  all  spoke  of  several  small 
ones  joining  it  from  the  east,  which,  it  was 
said,  we  should  cross  on  our  road. 

*  Page  363,  4to.  Paris.  f  Thevenot,  vol.  iii.  p.  215. 


TO  KESRABAD,  OR  DASTAGHERD.      17 

At  sunset  we  prepared  to  depart,  and  when 
the  twilight  was  just  closed  we  were  all  in 
march.  Our  course  lay  nearly  east  for  the 
first  hour,  when  the  road  wound  to  the 
north-east,  going  constantly  over  a  bare 
plain  of  hard  and  dry  earth.  It  had  once 
been  intersected  by  canals  ;  over  the  mounds, 
and  through  the  beds  of  which,  we  often 
passed;  and  many  parts  of  the  low  levels 
still  retained  traces  of  being  recently  watered, 
which  was  said  to  be  only  by  the  rains  of 
winter  lodging  here. 

We  had  gone  from  the  winding  of  the 
road,  about  three  hours  on  a  north-east 
course,  when  we  came  to  the  bank  of  a  canal, 
now  full,  leading  from  an  arm  of  the  Diala, 
and  watering  a  portion  of  the  land  through 
which  it  flowed.  We  kept  along  the  west- 
ern edge  of  this  in  a  northerly  direction  : 
the  ground  here,  however,  was  covered  with 
a  thorny  shrub,  and  uncultivated ;  but  on  the 
east  were  several  scattered  hamlets,  and  the 
barking  of  dogs  announced  the  existence  of 
living  beings  there ;  while  such  patches  of 
cultivated  land  as  we  could  indistinctly  see 
by  the  light  of  the  moon,  offered  a  momentary 
relief  to  the  general  monotony  of  our  way. 

VOL.  I.  c 


18         FROM   BAGDAD,   ACROSS    THE    DIAL  A, 


m 


An  alarm  was  now  spread,  from  the  rear 
of  our  caravan,  of  an  attack,  and  several  mus- 
kets were  fired,  though  they  could  scarcely 
be  heard  amidst  the  general  outcry  and  up- 
roar which  prevailed.  When  the  explana- 
tion came,  it  appeared  to  have  been  only 
four  or  five  peasants  on  foot  who  had  oc- 
casioned all  this  panic, — an  accident  which 
gave  us  no  favourable  impression  of  the  cool- 
ness or  courage  of  our  numerous  party. 

In  another  hour  we  reached  the  stream 
from  which  this  canal  led,  over  which  we 
crossed,  by  a  steep  and  high  bridge  of  one 
arch.  The  stream  itself  appeared  to  me  an 
artificial  one,  as  it  ran  slowly  between  steep 
banks  like  mounds,  and  was  not  more  than 
twenty  yards  wide.  It  was  called  Nahr  el 
Shahraban  ;  it  came  from  the  north,  and  was 
said  to  go  into  the  Diala,  south  of  Bakou- 
ba,  having  small  canals  leading  off  from  it  in 
the  way.  From  this  bridge  were  seen  on  the 
left  of  us,  distant  less  than  half  a  mile  to  the 
westward  of  the  road,  some  palm-trees  rising 
from  a  village  called  Aghwashek.  This  was 
originally  the  retreat  of  a  dozen  Fakeers, 
who  lived  here  in  indolence  on  the  charities 
of  devout  passengers ;  but  their  easy  way  of 


TO  KESRABAD,  OR  DASTAGHERD.      19 

life  having  attracted  others  of  the  same  class 
about  them,  the  settlement  has  increased, 
and  now  contains  about  five  hundred  per- 
sons, chiefly  of  the  original  description. 

From  the  bridge,  our  course  went  again 
north-easterly,  and  in  about  an  hour  from 
thence  we  reached  the  town  of  Shahraban, 
which  we  entered  through  mud-walled  lanes 
and  dusty  roads,  just  as  the  moon  was  set- 
ting; and  with  some  difficulty,  at  this  un- 
seasonable hour,  found  our  way  to  a  khan, 

Sept.  5th. — The  village  of  Shahraban  is 
composed,  like  that  of  Bakouba,  of  scattered 
brick  dwellings,  some  few  regular  streets,  and 
mud-walled  gardens  and  palm-grounds.  It 
has  one  mosque  with  a  well-built  minaret, 
and  two  khans,  but  nothing  else  worthy  of 
notice.  Some  canals  from  the  branch  of  the 
Diala,  which  we  crossed  over  by  the  one- 
arched  bridge  an  hour  before  entering  Shah- 
raban, run  through  the  town  itself,  and  sup- 
ply the  inhabitants  with  water  for  their  daily 
use,  as  well  as  the  peasantry  for  cultivation. 
The  population  may  be  estimated  at  about 
two  thousand  five  hundred,  of  whom  two- 
thirds  are  Soonnees,  and  the  remainder 
Sheeahs,  there  being  neither  Jews  nor  Chris- 

c  2 


20         FROM    BAGDAD,   ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

tians  here.  The  language  is  Turkish,  though 
Arabic  is  still  understood,  and  the  Aga  of 
the  place  is  subject  to  Bagdad.* 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  information 
having  being  brought  us  of  the  road  to  the 
next  town  being  unsafe  from  some  predatory 
Arabs  having  taken  up  a  position  near  it, 
our  intended  departure  at  night  was  post- 
poned until  the  following  morning,  that  we 
might  the  better  see  such  of  our  enemies 
as  might  attempt  to  obstruct  our  way. 

In  my  enquiries  about  the  towns  of  Men- 
deli  and  Ghilan,  I  could  obtain  no  very  precise 
data  for  fixing  their  positions,  as  there  were 
no  high-roads  from  hence  to  either  of  them. 

Mendeli  is  described  as  a  large  town  con- 
taining about  six  thousand  inhabitants, 
Turks,  Arabs,  and  Koords,  the  language  of 
the  former  chiefly  prevailing:  it  is  three 
days'  journey  from  Bagdad,  to  the  south 
eastward. 

Ghilan  is  the  name  of  a  district  of  some 
extent,  reaching  to  the  foot   of  the  moun- 

*  This  town  is  thought  to  be  the  site  of  the  ancient  Apol- 
lonia,  which  communicated  its  name  to  a  particular  canton. 
— See  D*Anxnlles  Ancient  Geography,  vol.  ii.  p.  469,  English 
Edit.  8vo.  London f  1791. 


TO    KESRABAD,    Oil    DASTAGHEIID.  21 

tains  of  Louristan :  its  chief  town  is  called 
Boksye,  and  contains  about  two  thousand 
inhabitants,  chiefly  Arabs.  This  is  also  three 
days'  journey  from  Bagdad,  in  nearly  an 
eastern  direction.* 

As  this  district  had  been  celebrated  in  an- 
tiquity for  its  pastures  and  its  horses,  I  was 
inquisitive  from  those  who  had  been  all 
over  it  as  to  what  state  the  country  was 
now  in,    and   whether  its   horses  were  still 

*  In  the  march  of  Alexander  from  Susa  to  Ecbatana,  it  is 
said  that  he  marched  to  the  towns  called  Celonge,  which  was 
therefore  then  the  name  of  a  district  as  well  as  at  present. 
It  was  in  this  place,  says  the  historian,  that  the  posterity  of 
the  Beotians  settled  themselves  in  the  time  of  Xerxes's  expe- 
dition, and  there  remain  to  this  day,  having  altogether  forgot 
the  laws  of  their  country.  For  they  use  a  double  language, 
one  learnt  from  the  natural  inhabitants,  and  in  the  other  they 
preserve  much  of  the  Greek  tongue,  and  observe  some  of 
their  laws  and  customs.  Thence,  when  it  grew  towards  even- 
ing, he  turned  aside  and  marched  to  Bagistames  to  view  the 
country.  This  country  abounds  in  all  manner  of  fruit-trees, 
and  whatever  else  either  conduces  to  the  profit  or  pleasure 
of  mankind,  so  as  it  seems  to  be  a  place  of  delight  both  for 
gods  and  men.  Afterwards  he  came  into  a  country  that  breeds 
and  pastures  an  innumerable  company  of  horses :  for  they  say 
that  there  had  been  here  an  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  horses 
that  ran  at  pasture  up  and  down  the  country  ;  but  at  the 
coming  of  Alexander  there  were  only  sixty  thousand.  He  en- 
camped here  for  the  space  of  thirty  days. — Diodorvs  Skulus,  b.  1  7, 
c.  11. 


22         FROM   BAGDAD,    ACROSS   THE    DIxVLA, 

thought  superior  to  all  others.^  It  appears 
that  the  whole  of  the  plain,  from  Boksye  to 
the  mountains,  is  possessed  by  a  tribe  of 
Arabs,  called  the  Beni  Lam,  who  are  thought 
to  have  twenty  thousand  heads  of  families, 
and  are  all  Sheeahs,  like  the  Persians.  The 
extensive  tract  over  which  they  roam  is 
now  mostly  desert,  no  doubt  from  the  neg- 
lect of  the  canals  by  which  it  was  formerly 
watered :  their  horses,  however,  are  still  es- 
teemed as  excellent,  and  inferior  to  none  but 
those  of  the  Nedjed  Arabs  and  the  Tur- 
comans.t 

*  From  the  plains  in  which  these  horses  were  bred,  it  was 
a  march  pf  seven  days  to  Ecbatana.  (Septimus  deinde  castris 
Ecbatana  attigit  Mediae  caput.) — Freinshemius  Supplement  to 
Quintus  Cur  tins,  vol.  ii.  p.  547. 

t  In  describing  this  district,  Major  Rennel  says  :  "  Between 
Ghilanee  and  Kermanshah  are  the  celebrated  pastures  of  the 
Nisaean  horses.  This  country  of  Media  was  the  cradle  of  the 
Persian  power,  for  the  Medes  held  the  sovereignty  of  Asia  pre- 
vious to  the  Persians  :  it  produced  a  hardy  race  of  men  as 
well  as  horses.  Nisseus  was  a  district  in  Media,  remarkable 
for  these  last,  as  Ghilan  is  the  name  of  the  district  still. 
The  chariot  of  Xerxes  was  drawn  by  these  animals,  and  the 
sacred  horses  in  the  procession  were  Nissean  (Polymnia  40). 
Alexander  gave  a  Nissean  horse  to  Calanus,  to  carry  him  to 
the  funeral  pile.  The  King  of  Partha  sacrificed  one  to  the  Sun, 
when  ApoUonia  of  Tyana  visited  his  court,  and  Masistius  rode 
a  Nisaean  horse  at  the  decisive  battle  of  Plataea.     The  Nisaean 


TO  KESRABAD,  OR  DASTAGHERD.      23 

The  whole  of  the  tract  from  Bagdad  to 
Shahraban  is  now  called  Arudth-el-Cusa, 
from  a  tradition  that  it  was  once  all  oc- 
cupied either  by  that  city  or  by  numerous 
settlements  dependent  on  it. 

At  sunset,  we  all  moved  up  to  the  ter- 
race of  the  khan,  to  pray,  to  sup,  and  to 
spread  our  beds  in  a  cooler  and  purer  air 
than  we  could  breathe  below.  The  view 
from  hence,  where  the  country  was  at  all 
visible  through  the  palm-trees,  was  one  level 
and  desert  plain,*  in  which  the  sun  set  at 

pastures  are  spoken  of  in  Diodorus,  lib.  7,  c.  2,  and  in  ilr- 
rian,  lib.  7. — See  Rennets  Illustrations  of  the  Geography  of  Hero- 
dotus, 4to.  p.  268. 

*  The  Nisean  horses  are  placed  by  Ammianus  Marcellinus  in 
the  plains  of  a  fertile  country  of  Assyria,  on  the  western  side  of 
a  high  mountain  called  Corone.  This  is  evidently  a  part  of  a 
chain  called  Zagros,  Orontes,  and  Jason,  in  the  same  place ; 
and  Corone  is  written  perhaps  Clone,  the  name  of  the  district 
where  these  horses  were  bred. — Amm,  Mar.  book  xxiii.  c.  6. 
vol.  ii.  pp.  269,  270.  Ecbatana  is  placed  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Jason,  which  is  the  same  therefore  with  Orontes.  b.  xxiii.  c.  xvi. 
p.  273.  It  was  in  the  march  of  Alexander  from  Opis  on  the 
Tigris,  through  Celonae,  (which  place  Xerxes  had  peopled  with 
a  colony  of  Beotians,  who  still  retained  some  of  their  native 
language,)  and  on  his  way  towards  Ecbatana,  that  he  is  said 
to  have  viewed  the  field  wherein  the  King's  horses  used  to 
graze,  which  Herodotus  calls  Nisseum,  arid  the  horses  Niscean, 
and  where,  in  former  times,  150,000  were  wont  to  feed,  though 


24i  FROM    BAGDAD,    ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

W.  by  N.  f  N.  by  compass,  and  the  moon 
succeeded  without  an  interval  of  twilight. 

Sept.  6th. — We  were  in  motion  before  the 
moon  had  set ;  and  just  as  the  day  broke 
we  quitted  the  town,  when  the  sun  greeted 
our  departure  as  he  rose  from  behind  the 
blue  ridge  of  hills  immediately  before  us. 

Our  march  was  directed  to  the  east-north- 
east, over  a  plain  somewhat  less  bare  than 
that  which  we  had  traversed  during  the  two 
preceding  days,  and  having  tobacco  and  dour- 
ra  growing  in  several  parts  of  it.  Camels 
were  also  feeding  in  the  neighbourhood,  and 
were  the  first  that  we  had  seen  since  leaving 
Bagdad.  These  signs  of  life  and  activity 
were  entirely  owing  to  the  presence  of  water, 
of  which  we  crossed  several  small  canals  and 
one  large  one,  with  rushes  on  its  banks. 
The  whole  of  the  low  country  indeed,  on 
both  sides  of  the  Tigris  and  the  Euphrates, 
wants  only  the  irrigation  which  could  be  so 
easily  given  it  by  canals  from  these  rivers, 
to  render  it  as  fertile  as  Egypt  or  the  river- 
lands  of  China :  but  in  the  absence  of  this, 

Alexander  found  not  more  than  50,000  there,  most  of  the  rest 
having  been  stolen  away. — ArriarCs  Hist,  of  Alexandtrs  Expe- 
ditio?iy  b.  vii.  c.  13.  vol.  ii.  p.  150. 


TO  KESRABAD,  OR  DASTAGHERD.      25 

as  the  heats  are  excessive,  and  Httle  rain 
falls  even  in  the  winter,  the  whole  has  fallen 
by  neglect  into  general  barrenness. 

In  an  hour  after  quitting  Shahraban,  we 
came  to  the  main  stream  from  which  the 
smaller  ones  of  the  plain  were  derived,  and 
crossed  it  by  a  brick  bridge  of  a  single  arch. 
This  is  called  Nahr-el-Khan-e-Keen,  from  its 
rising  near  a  place  of  that  name  farther  on 
in  our  road,  and  it  goes  from  hence  into 
the  Diala,  discharging  itself  to  the  south- 
ward of  the  branch  which  we  crossed  yester- 
day. Like  this,  however,  its  stream  is  not 
more  than  twenty  yards  wide,  its  current 
slow,  and  its  bed  lying  deep  between  two 
steep  banks  covered  with  rushes. 

From  hence,  we  continued  nearly  the  same 
course  as  before,  and  in  another  hour  reach- 
ed the  foot  of  a  ridge  of  sandstone-hills, 
called  Jebel-el-Shahraban.  It  seemed  to  be 
the  only  practicable  pass  through  them  to 
which  our  road  led,  and  even  this  was  not 
an  easy  one.  The  ascent  was  very  gentle, 
over  a  gravelly  road ;  but,  from  the  soft  na- 
ture of  the  rock,  several  narrow  passages  had 
been  worn,  which  barely  admitted  of  a  horse 
going  through,  and  forbade  the  passage  of  a 


26    FROM  BAGDAD,  ACROSS  THE  DIALA, 

laden  mule.  Masses  of  the  rock,  the  layers 
of  which  were  generally  oblique  to  the  ho- 
rizon, had  also  fallen,  and  obstructed  some 
points  of  the  way ;  so  that,  few  as  our  num- 
bers were,  great  confusion  prevailed.  This 
was  increased,  too,  by  the  general  alarm 
which  was  felt,  as  it  was  here  that  the  road 
was  considered  the  most  dangerous,  from 
its  being  favourable  to  any  small  party  ob- 
structing it. 

Accordingly  the  bravest  and  the  lightest 
of  the  troop  ascended  the  points  of  the  hills 
to  reconnoitre,  and  fired  their  muskets  as  a 
signal  of  defiance.  As  all  these  were  of  the 
match-lock  kind  throughout  our  company, 
excepting  only  the  one  which  my  Dervish 
carried,  the  matches  were  all  lighted;  but 
though  we  were  thus  fully  prepared  to  repel 
an  attack,  it  was  evident  that  every  one  ad- 
vanced with  fear  and  trembling. 

In  half  an  hour  we  gained  the  summit 
of  the  hills,  from  whence  we  could  see  the 
plain  to  the  eastward  of  them  before  us; 
and,  as  this  appeared  to  be  clear  of  wan- 
derers, a  shout  of  joy  was  set  up,  thus  giving 
vent  to  fear,  as  tears  are  found  to  afford 
a  momentary  relief  to  sorrow. 


TO    KESRABAD,    OR   DASTAGHERD.  27 

The  line  of  these  hills  stretched  generally 
from  north-north-west  to  south-south-east, 
and  their  highest  point  did  not  appear  to 
reach  a  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
plain  below.  From  their  summits,  which 
were  every  where  rocky  and  barren,  we  saw 
before  us  other  more  lofty  ones,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  fifty  or  sixty  miles,  half  obscured  in 
a  blue  haze. 

The  whole  passage  of  these  hills,  from  our 
leaving  the  western  till  our  descending  on 
the  eastern  plain,  occupied  little  more  than 
an  hour ;  and  from  thence  we  still  went  on 
about  east-north-east,  towards  the  town  of 
Kesrabad,  now  in  sight  before  us,  at  the 
distance  of  six  or  seven  miles. 

We  found  this  portion  of  the  plain  water- 
ed also  by  small  channels  from  the  Nahr-el- 
Khan-e-Keen ;  and  several  parcels  of  land 
were  laid  out  in  dourra,  and  in  cotton  plants,, 
both  of  them  now  in  verdure,  it  being  the 
spring  of  the  second  harvest. 

We  were  met  here  by  three  horse  Arabs, 
who  had  the  hardihood  to  make  up  towards 
us  at  full  speed,  brandishing  their  lances  for 
attack.  Two  of  the  Persian  horsemen,  with 
their  match-locks,  and  myself,  with  a  long 


28         FROM    BAGDAD,    ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

spear  of  their  own  kind,  rode  off  at  a  gallop 
to  meet  them,  and,  firing  a  pistol  in  the  air 
as  we  approached,  ordered  them  to  stand. 
We  neared  each  other  very  cautiously,  as  the 
caravan  was  still  half  a  mile  behind,  each 
having  his  eyes  fixed  on  his  man,  in  all  the 
suspicion  and  watchfulness  of  actual  combat, 
each  with  his  arms  ready-balanced  for  the 
stroke,  and  the  warmed  and  conscious  horses 
fretting  under  a  tightened  curb,  and  seeming 
to  upbraid  our  lingering,  by  their  impati- 
ence for  the  fray.  At  length,  after  some 
harsh  words,  the  "  Salam  Alaikum"  was  ex- 
changed, our  arms  were  dropped  with  cau- 
tion on  each  side,  and  our  opponents  with- 
drawing the  covering  from  their  faces  (which 
they  always  wear  across  it  when  rushing  on 
to  the  attack,  to  prevent  their  being  recog- 
nized in  cases  of  blood-revenge),  they  gave 
us  a  signal  of  submission  and  peace,  and  thus 
the  matter  ended. 

In  addressing  themselves  to  me  as  an 
Arab,  which  every  part  of  my  dress  and  ac- 
coutrements bespoke  me  to  be,  they  were 
exceedingly  inquisitive  as  to  the  object  of 
my  journey  eastward,  and  wondered  at  my 
prompt  appearance  at  the  head  of  a  troop  of 


TO    KESRABAD,    OR   DASTAGHERD.  29 

Ajamees  or  Persians,  of  whom  they  *spoke 
openly  with  the  greatest  contempt.  The 
Persian  soldiers,  who  understood  enough  of 
this  to  be  offended  at  it,  now  began  to  be 
insolent  in  their  turn,  as  the  coming  up  of 
the  whole  caravan  during  this  parley,  gave 
them  an  additional  motive  to  boldness. 

For  myself,  I  proposed  that  as  we  had 
taken  these  three  men  in  the  very  act  of 
an  attack  upon  us,  and  as  they  scrupled  not 
to  avow  their  motives,  we  should  make 
them  prisoners,  and  take  them  on  to  the 
next  town,  to  deliver  them  up  for  punish- 
ment. All,  however,  agreed  that  this  would 
be  a  certain  way  of  involving  the  next  ca- 
ravan in  the  most  imminent  danger,  since 
the  whole  tribe  of  Mujummah,  to  which  they 
belonged,  would  not  fail  to  revenge,  upon 
the  next  body  of  Persians  that  passed,  the 
injuries  thus  done  to  children  of  their  tents. 
The  soldiers,  however,  growing  more  inso- 
lent, as  the  crowd  thickened  behind  them, 
drove  the  Arabs  off  the  road,  by  pushing 
their  horses  with  the  muzzles  of  their  long 
muskets,  and  imprecations  and  abuse  passed 
with  equal  freedom  on  either  side;  while  the 
dastardly  crowd,  who  had  witnessed  all  at  a 


30  FROM   BAGDAD,   ACROSS   THE    DIALA, 

very  safe  distance,  now  shouted  in  triumph 
at  the  poor  defeat  of  three  individuals,  whom 
they  had  not  the  courage  to  seize  and 
punish. 

Such  being  the  usual  result  of  cases  like 
this,  it  can  hardly  be  wondered  at  that  the 
roads  here  are  not  safe.  A  party  of  idle 
Arabs,  having  nothing  better  to  do,  as  their 
wives  and  children  tend  their  flocks,  and 
perform  the  duties  of  their  camp,  mount  on 
horseback,  and  cross  over  the  great  high- 
ways of  the  country.  If  they  descry  a  party 
who  are  too  few  in  numbers  or  too  defi- 
cient in  spirit  to  resist  their  attack,  some 
gain  at  least  is  certain.  But  should  they  be 
unexpectedly  checked  in  their  career,  no 
risk  is  run  by  the  attempt,  as  they  are  per- 
mitted to  gallop  off,  and  direct  their  course 
in  some  other  direction  for  a  more  successful 
foray  * 

*The  power  of  the  desert  horse  to  endure  privation  and 
fatigue  is  quite  extraordinary ;  and  must  always  have  been  re- 
markable, to  have  given  rise  to  the  extravagant  opinions  enter- 
tained on  that  subject  in  antiquity.  Among  others,  Pliny 
says  : — "  The  Sarmatians,  when  they  were  about  to  make  a 
great  journey,  prepared  their  horses  two  days  before  by  giving 
them  no  meat  at  all,  and  allowing  them  only  a  little  drink; 


TO    KESRABAD,    OR    DASTAGHERD.  31 

We  continued  our  way  in  closer  march 
than  before,  and  after  crossing  many  small 
streams  and  pools  of  water,  with  some  huts 
of  rushes  inhabited  by  Mujummah  Arabs,  we 
approached  toward  the  town  of  Kesrabad, 
entering  it  about  eleven  o'clock,  two  hours 
and  a  half  from  the  eastern  foot  of  the  hills 
we  had  crossed,  and  about  five  and  a  half 
from  our  leaving  Shahraban  ;  so  that  its  dis- 
tance may  be  from  eighteen  to  twenty  miles 
east-north-east  of  that  place. 

As  we  remained  here  the  whole  of  the  day, 
I  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  more  of  the 
place  during  a  sunset  walk.  Like  the  sta- 
tions through  which  we  had  already  passed, 
this  abounded  in  palm-trees.  The  town  was 
larger  than  either  of  the  preceding  ones,  and 
contained  about  a  thousand  dwellings,  and 
three  thousand  stationary  inhabitants.  The 
houses  are  all  small,  and  built  of  mud,  with 
brick  door-ways  in  front;  they  are  more 
closely  placed,  however,  than  in  the  villages 
before-mentioned,  and  assume  the  form  of 

and  thus  it  was  said,  they  were  enabled  to  gallop  them  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  an  end,  without  drawing  in  their  bri- 
dles."—P/m.  Nat.  Hist,  b.  8,  p.  42. 


32  FROM    BAGDAD,    ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

regular  streets,  in  one  of  which  is  a  pubhc 
bazar  and  two  khans. 

In  the  southern  quarter  of  the  town  is  a 
rising  ground,  on  which  the  houses  are  ele- 
vated, so  as  to  be  seen  farther  off  than  those 
standing  entirely  on  the  plain.  To  the  east 
of  the  town  is  a  similar  hill  converted  into  a 
burial-ground,  and  on  the  north  are  exten- 
sive gardens  enclosed. 

The  grounds  in  the  neighbourhood  are  all 
artificially  watered  by  canals  from  the  Nahr- 
el-Khan-e-Keen ;  and  dates,  and  melons,  po- 
megranates, and  gourds  are  abundant. 

The  language  of  the  people  is  altogether 
Turkish,  and  they  are  all  Soonnees.  Two 
mosques  were  spoken  of,  though  I  saw  but 
one,  and  this  was  meanly  built  and  without  a 
minaret.  The  town  is  subject  to  Bagdad, 
and  the  support  of  its  population  is  drawn 
from  the  culture  of  the  lands,  and  the  sup- 
ply of  caravans  halting  between  Persia  and 
Arabia  on  this  route. 

Sept.  7th. — The  wind  from  the  eastern 
hills  was  cold  and  piercing  during  the  night; 
and  as  I  slept  on  the  house-top  or  terrace, 
exposed  to  its  full  force,  and  without  a  cover- 


TO  KESRABAD,  OR  DASTAGHERD.      33 

ing,  I  felt  myself  severely  affected  by  its  in^ 
fluence. 

I  had  arisen  and  armed  myself,  however, 
before  the  day  broke,  and  stirred  my  Der- 
vish from  his  sleep,  under  the  belief  of  the 
caravan  setting  out  at  an  early  hour,  as  yes- 
terday. But  when  our  horses  were  saddled, 
and  some  few  others  had  followed  our  ex- 
ample under  the  same  persuasion  as  our- 
selves, we  were  surprised  to  find  the  major 
part  of  our  company  still  snoring  at  their 
ease,  and  some  few  others  who  were  awake 
making  no  preparations  to  be  gone.  On  en- 
quiry, our  surprise  was  heightened  to  learn 
that  it  was  not  intended  to  move  to-day, 
as  they  had  heard  news  of  troubles  on  the 
road.  Daood  Effendi,  the  Dufterdar  of  the 
Pasha  of  Bagdad,  had,  it  was  said,  come  out 
of  the  city,  and  putting  himself  at  the  head 
of  five  thousand  troops  previously  prepared 
by  his  agent,  had  set  up  the  standard  of  re- 
bellion, and  intended  taking  the  city  from 
his  former  master,  without  attempting  to 
offer  any  plea  of  excuse  for  such  treachery, 
as  in  these  countries  power  is  tacitly  ac- 
knowledged   to    constitute    right,    however 

VOL.  I.  D 


34         FROM   BAGDAD,   ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

much  the  contrary  doctrine  may  be  preach- 
ed by  those  who  feel  their  own  weakness. 

It  was  not  easy  to  see  how  this  could  af- 
fect the  safety  of  the  roads  to  the  eastward 
of  us,  but  it  was  thought  to  do  so  by  the 
timid  pilgrims,  and  this  was  sufficient  to 
spread  a  panic  among  all  the  rest  who  were 
bound  that  way ;  for  though,  on  our  arising, 
there  were  several  preparing  to  depart,  and 
we  had  offered  to  join  them  if  they  would 
go  on,  yet  there  was  not  at  last  one  indivi- 
dual who  would  start  with  us,  and  we  were 
therefore  obliged  to  yield  to  the  delay. 

My  indisposition  made  me  sufficiently 
indolent;  notwithstanding  which,  however, 
being  without  a  book  or  a  companion,  my 
Dervish  having  already  given  himself  up  to 
such  pleasures  as  the  town  affi^rded,  the  time 
hung  heavily  upon  me.  When  I  caught 
him  for  half  an  hour,  near  noon,  I  prevailed 
on  him  to  write  me  some  Persian  words 
with  their  Arabic  relative  ones  opposite  to 
them  in  a  small  blank  book  ;  so  that  I  now 
began  to  learn  a  language  of  which  I  yet 
knew  nothing,  through  the  medium  of  one 
which,  however  fluently  I  could  express  my- 


TO    KKSRABAD,    OR   DASTAQHERD.  35 

self  in  it,  was  equally  new  to  me  as  a  written 
one. 

From  the  time  that  I  had  been  travelling 
among  different  races  of  people  speaking 
Arabic,  my  proficiency  might  indeed  have 
been  much  greater  than  it  really  was  at  this 
moment ;  but  I  had  never  yet  enjoyed  suffi- 
cient repose  at  any  one  time  or  place  to  apply 
myself  to  the  study  of  it  grammatically ;  and 
from  the  great  variety  of  dialects  into  which 
this  language  is  divided,  both  as  to  the  words 
themselves,  and  the  manner  of  pronouncing 
them,  in  Egypt,  Arabia  Proper,  Palestine, 
Syria,  and  Mesopotamia,  I  had  found  it  diffi- 
cult even  to  follow  up  these  changes,  for 
the  mere  purpose  of  expressing  my  wants  in 
such  a  way  as  not  to  betray  myself  to  be  a 
stranger. 

The  Koran  which  the  Dervish  had  pro- 
cured for  me  in  Bagdad,  and  which  he  had 
promised  to  instruct  me  in  reading  during 
the  leisure  intervals  of  our  way,  had  been 
already  stolen  from  me  by  some  of  the  holy 
personages  of  our  pilgrim-train.  It  was  of 
the  smallest  size  that  could  be  had,  yet  per- 
fectly legible,  from  being  well  written  ;    it 

D   2 


36         FROM    BAGDAD,    ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

had  cost  me  sixty  piastres,  and  was  admirably 
adapted  to  my  purpose.  It  was  contained  in 
an  appropriate  case,  which  I  wore  by  my  side 
during  the  day,  and  at  night  placed  it  with 
such  other  things  as  were  immediately  under 
my  own  charge  beneath  my  head.  As  I  had 
been  seen  looking  into  it  at  different  times 
by  several  of  our  party,  it  had  no  doubt  at- 
tracted the  cupidity  of  one  more  pious  than 
the  rest,  who  might  have  consoled  his  con- 
science for  the  theft,  by  devoutly  regarding 
the  holiness  of  the  prize  as  a  sufficient  excuse 
for  the  stealing  it.  Illogical  and  senseless  as 
such  reasoning  may  appear  to  those  who  view 
things  through  an  unprejudiced  medium,  it 
is  nevertheless  that  which  is  often  found 
among  religious  Mohammedans,  where  the 
cause  of  God  and  his  Prophet  has  been  sup- 
ported by  persecution  and  oppression  ;  and 
in  the  East,  as  well  as  in  the  West,  devotion 
and  dishonesty  are  thus  often  found  to  go 
hand  in  hand. 

On  the  discovery  of  my  loss,  strict  en- 
quiry was  made  about  it,  but  without  lead- 
ing to  restoration  ;  for  we  were  not  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  insist  on  searching  the 
baggage  of  the   suspected,  nor   sufficiently 


.  TO  KESRABAD,  OR  DASTAGHERD.      37 

rich  to  bribe  the  proper  officer  for  this  duty; 
so  that  no  hope  remained  of  our  recovering 
the  stolen  Scripture. 

During  the  day,  we  heard  of  a  place  near 
this  having  been  already  attacked  by  Arabs, 
on  the  news  of  the  state  of  things  at  Bag- 
dad ;  and  so  many  particulars  were  given  in 
the  details  of  this  affair,  that  we  could  not 
refuse  it  credit.  A  few  hours  afterwards, 
however,  a  caravan  arriving  here  from  the 
eastward  contradicted  the  report,  as  they  had 
passed  by  the  very  spot  named  without  hear- 
ing any  thing  of  the  matter.  These,  how- 
ever, on  now  learning  the  news  of  the  Bag- 
dad road,  which  had  given  rise  to  the  report 
on  which  we  questioned  them,  made  their  de- 
termination to  halt  here  for  a  while  ;  though 
the  news  thus  learnt  from  us  might,  for  aught 
we  knew,  have  been  as  ill-founded  as  the 
rumour  which  they  themselves  had  so  satis- 
factorily contradicted. 

As  we  were  now  positively  assured  of  our 
way  being  safe,  I  expected  that  we  should 
suffer  no  more  delay ;  but  the  majority  of 
our  party,  to  whom  despatch  seemed  of  no 
great  consequence,  still  determined  to  pro- 
long their  halt.     In  an  evening  stroll,  about 


38    FROM  BAGDAD,  ACROSS  THE  DIALA, 

an  hour  before  sunset,  under  the  guidance  of 
one  of  the  natives  of  the  place,  and  accom- 
panied also  by  my  Dervish,  we  came  upon  a 
large  and  remarkable  heap  of  ruins,  about  a 
mile  to  the  north-east  of  the  town.  It  was 
in  form  and  extent  nearly  like  that  of  the 
Makloube,  the  supposed  castellated  Palace  at 
Babylon,  except  that  it  was  less  in  height, 
and  whatever  buildings  had  once  occupied 
this  site  had  been  rased  nearer  to  the  ground. 
It  was  still,  however,  sufficiently  high  to  form 
a  conspicuous  object  on  the  plain,  even  from 
a  distance,  its  highest  part  being  forty  or  fifty 
feet  above  the  common  level. 

By  the  people  of  the  country,  it  is  called 
Giaour-Tuppe-se,  or  the  "  Hill  of  the  Infi- 
dels ;"  and  it  was  asserted  by  our  guide,  and 
confirmed  by  many  others  of  the  place,  whom 
we  questioned  afterwards,  that  there  had 
been  often  dug  up  from,  and  found  on  the 
surface  of  the  ruins,  small  idols  of  copper, 
some  of  them  representing  men  in  a  sitting 
posture,  without  seats  to  support  them ; 
which,  from  their  size  and  material,  as  well 
as  from  their  attitudes,  imitated  by  those  who 
described  them  to  us,  must  have  been  of  the 


TO  KESRABAD,  OR  DASTAGHERD.     39 

same  kind  as  one  of  the  Babylonian  idols  in 
Mr.  Rich's  collection. 

In  examining  the  surface  of  this  mound, 
we  saw  in  many  parts  that  had  been   exca- 
vated, portions  of  excellent  masonry,  in  large, 
square,  red,  burnt  bricks,  some  layers  of  thick 
lime  cement,  with  others  of  what  seemed  to 
be  either  a  very  fine  stucco,  or  else  a  pecu- 
liar kind  of  white  marble.     There  were  no 
appearances  of  any  outer  wall  that  encircled 
the  whole,  though  possibly  such  might  have 
existed  beneath  the  rubbish.     The  interior 
part  seemed  to  have  been  composed  of  many 
small  buildings,  like  the  Palace  at  Babylon ; 
and   indeed   similar   edifices    are   still    seen 
throughout  the  East,  where  all  the  domestic 
offices  are  included  within  the  same  area  with 
the   principal    abode.     Having  my  compass 
with  me,  and  pretending  to  use  it  to  ascer- 
tain the  precise  point  of  the  Caaba  for  even- 
ing prayers,  I  obtained  from  the  spot   the 
bearings  of  such  surrounding  objects  as  were 
in  view.* 

*  Town  of  Kesrabad,  south-west  by  south,  one  mile.  Town 
of  Tewak,  with  date  trees,  west-south-west,  five  miles.  Town 
of  Baradan,  with  a  high  mound,  west,  five  miles.     Mound  call- 


40         FROM    BAGDAD,    ACllOSS    THE    DIALA, 

To  the  north,  from  eight  to  ten  miles  off, 
were  two  ridges  of  low  hills,  going  along 
nearly  east  and  west,  and  the  eastern  horizon 
was  intercepted  by  the  chain  of  mountains 
leading  from  Koordistan  to  Lauristan,  and 
dividing  Irak-Arabi  on  the  west  from  Irak- 
Ajami  on  the  east. 

The  stream  which  we  had  crossed  about  an 
hour  before  entering  Kesrabad,  and  which 
was  there  called  Nahr-el-Khan-e-Keen,  from 
a  belief  that  it  was  the  same  which  flowed  by 
that  place,  was  here  called  Giaour-Soo,  or  the 
"  Water  of  the  Infidels,"  evidently  relating 
to  the  "  Giaour-Tuppe-se,"  the  hill  on  which 
we  stood.  From  hence  it  was  seen  flowing 
from  the  north-east  through  a  fine  plain,  the 
stream  itself  being  visible  from  a  bearing  of 
north  to  west,  and  its  banks  plainly  to  be 
traced  still  farther  each  way,  from  their  being 
<Jovered  with  verdure,  and  having  fine  green 
plots  of  cultivated  land  on  each  side. 

This  river  was  distant  from  the  ruins  in 
question  little  more  than  a  mile,  and  might 
be  said  to  have  covered  the  approach  to  it 

ed  Nimrood-Tuppe-se,  south-west,  half  a  mile.     Mound  called 
Shah-Tuppe-se,  south-by- east  half  east,  quarter  of  a  mile. 


TO  KESEABAD,  OR  DASTAGHERD.      41 

from  the  north-west.  It  was  this  considera- 
tion chiefly,  though  strengthened  conside- 
rably by  the  appearance  of  the  ruins,  the 
name  both  of  it  and  the  river  which  covered 
it,  with  the  figures  and  coins  found  here, 
which  led  me  to  suppose  that  it  might  be  the 
site  of  the  celebrated  Palace  of  Dastagherd. 

M.  D'Anville,  in  his  "  Memoir  on  the 
Euphrates  and  the  Tigris,"  when  treating  of 
the  expedition  of  Heraclius  against  Persia, 
and  the  flight  of  Chosroes,  by  which  it  was 
terminated,  says :  "  In  that  campaign,  He- 
raclius passed  successively  the  Great  and  the 
Little  Zab,^  and  a  third  river,  named  Torna." 
This  is  conceived,  with  some  show  of  proba- 
bility from  the  resemblance  of  names,  to 
have  been  the  Tornadatum  of  Pliny  .f 

A   river,    called    Physcus    by    Xenophon, 

*  In  the  expedition  of  Cyrus,  the  first  of  these  rivers  is  men- 
tioned as  the  Zabatus,  and  said  to  be  four  plethra  in  breadth ; 
and  in  a  note  on  this  passage  it  is  observed,  that  the  Zaba- 
tus, or  Zabus,  called  also  by  the  Greeks  Lycus,  preserves  its 
original  name  Zab. — Geog.  Anc.  torn.  ii.  p.  243. — Expedition  de 
Cyrus  dans  V Asie  Superieur,  et  la  Retraite  de  Dix  Mille,  par  M. 
Larcher.     Paris,  12mo.  1778,  torn.  i.  1.  2—19.  p.  148. 

t  When  speaking  of  an  Antiocha,  thought  to  be  the  Opis  of 
Xenophon  and  Strabo,  Pliny  describes  it  as  seated  ''  inter  duo 
flumina  Tigrim  et  Tornadatum." 


42  FROM   BAGDAD,    ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

Gorgus  by  Ptolemy,  Odoine  by  Ta  vernier, 
and  Odorneh  by  D'Anville,  is  assumed  for 
this  ;  among  all  which  names,  no  one  like 
Diala  certainly  appears.  Its  position,  how- 
ever, as  the  third  river  from  Nineveh  to 
Ctesiphon  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Tigris, 
may  form  a  more  certain  guide  than  names 
varying  with  every  writer  and  in  every  age. 
The  river  in  question  is  called  the  third,  after 
counting  the  Great  and  Little  Zab  as  the 
first  and  second;  and  between  this  last 
stream  and  the  Diala,  there  is  no  other  that 
is  now  known  to  deserve  the  title  of  a  river  ; 
so  that  this  only  can  be  the  third  intended, 
whether  called  the  Diala,  or  any  of  the  other 
varied  names  bestowed  on  it. 

D'Anville  continues  to  examine  into  the 
question  of  the  site  of  Dastagherd,*  the  pa- 
lace which  for  twenty  years  enjoyed  the  dis- 
tinguished preference  of  the  Persian  mo- 
narch over  that  of  Ctesiphon. 

All  that  the  power  of  a  great  sovereign 
could  effect  toward  the  gratification  of  a  lux- 

*  In  the  Pascal  Chronicle,  this  name  is  read  Dastagerchosar, 
a^ccording  to  Theophanus  and  Cedrenus,  which,  if  a  corrup- 
tion of  Dastagherd,  Kasar,  would  signify,  in  the  language  of 
the  country,  simply,  the  castle  or  palace  of  Dastagherd. 


TO    KESRABAD,    OR    DASTAGHERD.  43 

urious  Asiatic  taste  was  here  accomplished; 
and  the  sober  page  of  history  is  swelled  be- 
yond its  proper  bounds,  by  an  enumeration 
of  the  objects  of  state  and  splendour  which 
were  here  collected  for  the  pampered  taste 
of  royalty  to  feed  on.^ 

*  Parviz  avait  dans  son  serail,  douze  mille  jeunes  filles, 
aussi  belles  que  la  lune,  aussi  suaves  que  I'odeur  de  I'ambre. 
II  avait  aussi  douze  cent  elephans,  et  une  certaine  quantite  d  or 
que  Ton  pourrait  faire  tout  ce  qu'on  voulait  sans  le  secours  de 
feu.  Cinquante  mille  chevaux  mangeoient  de  I'orge  dans  des 
ecuries,  et  douze  mille  chameaux  ^toient  employes  h  porter  le 
baggage  de  sa  maison.  Shebiz,  Tun  de  ses  chevaux  dont  la  vit- 
esse  surpassait  celle  du  vent,  est  celebre  dans  I'histoire.  Parviz 
avait  aussi  un  musicien  nomme  Barbano,  qui  n'a  jamais  eu  son 
semblable.  On  raconte  tant  de  choses  de  la  magnificence  de 
ce  Prince  qu'un  homme  sens6  ne  pent  aj outer  foi  a  tons  qu'on 
dit. — Memoires  sur  les  Antiquites  de  la  Perse,  par  M.  Silvesfre 
de  Sacy.     Paris.  4to. 

On  vante  aussi  I'incomparable  magnificence  de  sa  cour,  et 
rimmensite  de  ses  tresors.  II  entretenoit  habituellement  quinze 
mille  musiciens,  six  mille  officiers  du  palais,  vingt  cinq  mille 
cinq  cents  chevaux  et  mulcts  de  belle,  et,  pour  le  baggage, 
neuf  cent  soixante  elephans.  Quand  il  sortoit  a  cheval,  deux 
cents  personnes  I'accompagnoit  avec  de  cassolettes,  ou  brd- 
loient  de  parfums,  et  mille  porteurs  d'eau  arrosoit  le  chemin. 
Parmi  les  objets  precieux,  et  meme  merveilleux  qu'il  possedoit^ 
nous  ne  citerons  qu'un  essuie-mains  qu'on  jetoit  au  feu  pour  le 
nettoyer  :  il  etoit  sans  doute  en  amianthe.  Ce  fut  sous  son 
regne  que  Ton  amena  en  Perse  des  jeunes  elephans  blancs. — 
Notes  par  Langles  stir  les  Voyages  de  Ckardin.  Paris.  8vo. 
1811.  fowelO, /).  181. 


44  FROM    BAGDAD,   ACROSS   THE    DIALA, 

In  describing  the  local  features  of  this  de- 
licious spot,  it  is  said  to  have  been  seated  in 
a  fine  plain  or  valley,  and  to  have  had  a 
deep  and  clear  stream  to  cover  its  approach, 
which  when  the  army  of  Heraclius  had 
passed,  the  precipitate  retreat  of  Chosroes 
threw  open  the  palace  of  Dastagherd  to 
the  Greek  Emperor  without  resistance.  To 
avenge  himself  for  the  devastations  and 
calamities  which  his  own  empire  had  suffer- 
ed from  the  inroads  of  Chosroes,  Heraclius 
destroyed  this  palace,  and  caused  to  be  con- 
sumed by  the  flames  whatever  had  consti- 
tuted to  form  its  ornaments  or  its  delights. 

The  Diala  has  been  already  said  to  be  the 
third  river  enumerated  among  those  which 
Heraclius  passed  from  the  Tigris,  in  his 
march  to  Dastagherd.  A  fourth  is  then 
spoken  of,  as  a  deep  and  clear  stream,  cover- 
ing the  approach  to  this  palace,  and  conse- 
quently lying  to  the  north-west  in  the  line 
of  approach  from  Nineveh,  and  the  two  rivers 
of  the  Great  and  Little  Zab. 

The  same  geographer  continues :  "  We 
read  in  history,  that  Heraclius,  having  made 
three  marches  in  advance  from  Dastagherd, 
found  himself  within  twelve  miles  of  a  river 


TO    KESRABAD,    Oil    DASTAGHERD.  45 

called  the  Arba,  close  to  which  (and  pro- 
bably along  its  southern  bank)  the  Persian 
army  were  assembled  to  cover  the  approach 
to  Ctesiphon."  * 

We  have  thus,  therefore,  these  fixed  data 
to  guide  us  in  our  search  after  the  site  of  Das- 
tagherd.  First,  its  situation  in  an  agreeable 
place,  so  as  to  command  whatever  is  thought 
to  contribute  to  the  gratification  of  an  east- 
ern taste,  in  wood,  water,  shade,  &c.  Second- 
ly, its  being  necessary  to  cross  three  rivers, 
the  Great  Zab,  the  Little  Zab,  and  the 
Diala,  in  the  march  toward  it  from  Ctesi- 
phon. Thirdly,  its  approach  being  covered 
by  a  deep  and  clear  stream  on  the  north- 
west. Fourthly,  its  being  three  days'  march 
from  it  to  within  twelve  miles  of  the  Arba, 
which  covers  the  approach  to  Ctesiphon,  or 
within  twenty  miles,  at  least,  of  that  city 
itself. 

The  situation  of  the  ruins  here,  at  Giaour- 
Tuppe-se,  or  the  Hill  of  the  Infidels,  cor- 

*  From  local  position,  it  is  probable  that  this  Arba  was 
some  stream  flowing  from  the  eastward  into  the  Diala  before 
the  junction  of  this  last  river  with  the  Tigris  :  for,  between  the 
Diala  and  Ctesiphon,  there  is  no  river  now  existing,  nor  the  bed 
of  any  ancient  one  apparent. 


46  FROM    BAGDAD,   ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

responds,  in  an  extraordinary  degree  of  ac- 
curacy, with  all  these  particulars.  The  whole 
of  the  extensive  valley  in  which  it  is  placed 
may  be  called  a  delicious  country.  The  Great 
and  the  Little  Zab  and  the  Diala  must  be 
crossed  in  the  march  to  it  from  Nineveh,  or 
from  Moosul,  where  the  ruins  of  that  an- 
cient city  are.  The  approach  to  it  is  covered 
by  the  deep  and  clear  stream  of  the  Giaour- 
Soo,  or  Water  of  the  Infidels,  on  the  north- 
west. And  the  distance  of  three  days'  march 
from  hence,  to  within  twelve  miles  of  the 
river  that  covers  the  approach  to  Ctesiphon, 
is  as  near  the  estimate  of  that  distance  as 
one  can  expect,  since  the  precise  distance 
of  that  river,  within  eight  or  ten  miles,  is 
not  known,  if  it  be  a  branch  of  the  Diala.* 

*  D'Anville  seems  to  have  been  perplexed  by  the  multiplicity 
of  names  applied  to  this  river,  and  to  have  spoken  of  it  some- 
times as  two  distinct  streams. 

After  saying :  "  On  lit  dans  I'histoire,  qu'Heraclius  ayant 
fait  trois  marches  en  avant  de  Dastagerd,  se  trouva  k  douze 
milles  d'une  riviere  nommee  Arba,  et  pres  de  laquelle  Tarmee 
Persanne  etait  rassemblee  pour  couvrir  les  approches  de  (Ctesi- 
phon ;"  he  observes,  "  Or  nous  sommes  instruits  d'une  maniere 
positive,  qu'au-dessous  de  Bagdad,  et  au  moins  de  distance  au- 
dessus  de  Modain,  le  Tigre  re^oit  une  grosse  riviere,  dont  le 
nom  de  Delas  dans  Tantiquite  subsiste  distinctement  en  s'ecri- 
vant  aujourd'hui  Diala." — He  adds,  "  Comme  il  n'est  point  dit 


TO    KESRABAD,   OR   DASTAGHERD.  47 

The  name  of  the  present  town  of  Kes- 
rabad,  signifying  "  founded  or  peopled  by 
Kesra,"  the  Arab  name  of  Chosroes,  may  be 
thought,  perhaps,  to  give  some  support  to 
the  supposition  of  this  being  the  site  of  his 
favourite  palace,  seated  in  a  beautiful  plain, 
bounded  on  three  sides  by  hills,  and  on  the 
east  by  lofty  mountains,  commanding  an  ex- 
tensive prospect,  enjoying  a  delicious  climate, 
and  wanting  only  the  hand  of  taste  and  la- 

qu'Heraclius  ait  passe  cette  riviere,  il  faut  en  conclure  que  ce 
fut  la  terme  de  cette  expedition;  et,  que  Chosroes  n'existant 
plus  par  le  crime  de  son  fils,  Siroes,  c'est  ce  que  donna  lieu  a 
un  traite  qui  mit  fin  a  cet  armament  de  Fempire  Grec  contre  le 
Persan."  p.  104,  et  seq.  4to. 

But  we  have  before  seen  that  Heraclius  must  have  passed  the 
Diala,  to  have  destroyed  the  palace  of  Dastagherd,  since,  in  the 
words  of  M.  D'Anville  himself,  "  la  riviere  qui  couvroit  ce  lieu 
a  I'approche  d'Heraclius,  et  dont  le  nom  dans  I'antiquite  est 
Delas,  le  conserve  encore,  etant  appellee  Diala." 

There  is  an  evident  confounding  of  the  same  river  with  some 
other  stream,  by  making  it  appear  in  two  different  positions 
under  the  same  name  :  for  if  the  Diala  had  been  crossed  to  ar- 
rive at  Dastagherd,  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  re-cross  it 
again  before  the  army  could  come  upon  the  lower  part  of  it,  as 
covering  the  approach  to  Ctesiphon,  which  re-crossing  is  no 
where  specified,  that  I  remember.  Besides  which,  the  Diala 
is  enumerated  as  the  third  river  after  the  Great  and  Little  Zab, 
from  Nineveh,  and  the  one  covering  the  approach  to  Dasta- 
gherd is  spoken  of  as  a  fourth. 

Upon  the  whole,  therefore,  I  cannot  think  the  Arba  to   be 


48  FUOM    BAGDAD,   ACROSS   THE    DIALA, 

bour  to  render  it  one  of  the  most  agreeable 
abodes  that  could  be  inhabited. 

The  strength  of  this  position  would  be 
only  such  as  art  could  give  it,  since  it  derived 
none  from  nature  ;  but,  although  it  would 
seem  reasonable  that  a  place,  containing  such 
immense  treasures  as  Dastagherd  is  described 
to  have  had  within  it  at  one  time,  should 
have  been  well  fortified ;  yet,  from  the  pre- 
cipitate flight  of  the  monarch,  who  abandon- 
ed it  without  resistance  to  the  Greek  Em- 
peror, it  might  at  least  be  presumed  that  its 

again  this  Proteus  river,  as  D'Anville  would  have  it,  but  con- 
jecture it  rather  to  be  some  stream  leading  into  it,  under  the 
name  of  the  Afit-Ab  of  the  Maps,  though  I  have  no  positive 
knowledge  of  the  existence  of  such  a  stream  from  any  other 
source.  The  branch  running  by  the  small  town  of  Imaum 
Eske,  in  the  road  from  Bakouba  to  Mendeli,  in  Kinnier's  map 
of  Persia,  may  possibly  be  the  same  streanfi,  as  it  seems  to  lead 
towards  a  discharge  into  the  Diala,  though  its  continuation  to 
such  discharge  is  not  carried  on  in  the  map  itself. 

Great  confusion,  it  must  be  confessed,  exists  both  in  the 
writings  of  the  Ancients,  and  in  those  of  their  ablest  illustra- 
tors among  the  moderns,  on  the  subject  of  such  small  local 
features  of  distant  countries  as  these  :  but  we  may  say  with 
Rennel,  that  "  notwithstanding  these  inaccuracies,  it  is  curious 
to  trace  the  geographical  ideas  of  the  people  who  ranked  high 
as  historians,  warriors,  and  philosophers,  on  a  country  whose 
divisions  then  formed  a  subject  of  speculation,  like  the  interior 
of  Africa,  and  the  course  of  its  rivers  at  the  present  day." 


TO  KESRABAD,  OR  DASTAGHERD.     49 

means   of  defence  were    not   very  conside- 
rable.* 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  Dastagherd  is 
mentioned  only  as  a  palace,  and  no  notice  is 
taken  of  a  metropolitan  city  near  it,f  which 
corresponds  also  with  the  actual  appearance 
of  the  place,    there    being  no    other    ruins 

*  "  The  various  treasures  of  gold,  silver,  gems,  silk,  and  aro- 
matics,  were  deposited  in  an  hundred  subterraneous  vaults, 
and  the  chamber  Badaverd  denoted  the  accidental  gift  of  the 
winds,  which  had  wafted  the  spoils  of  Heraclius  into  one  of 
the  Syrian  harbours  of  his  rival.  The  voice  of  flattery,  and 
perhaps  of  fiction,  is  not  ashamed  to  compute  the  thirty  thou- 
sand rich  hangings  that  adorned  the  walls,  the  forty  thousand 
columns  of  silver,  or  more  probably  of  marble  and  plated  wood 
that  supported  the  roof,  and  the  thousand  globes  of  gold  sus- 
pended in  the  dome,  to  imitate  the  motions  of  the  planets  and 
the  constellations  of  the  zodiac." — Gibbon^  vol.  viii.  c.  46.  p. 
225.  8vo. 

f  "  Chosroes  enjoyed  with  ostentation  the  fruits  of  his  vic- 
tory, and  frequently  retired  from  the  hardships  of  war  to  the 
luxury  of  the  palace.  But  in  the  space  of  twenty-four  years 
he  was  deterred  by  superstition  or  resentment  from  approach- 
ing the  gates  of  Ctesiphon,  and  his  favourite  residence  of  Ar- 
temita  or  Dastagerd  was  situate  beyond  the  Tigris  about  sixty 
miles  to  the  north  of  the  capital.  Six  thousand  guards  suc- 
cessively mounted  before  the  palace  gate  :  the  service  of  the 
interior  apartments  was  performed  by  twelve  thousand  slaves, 
and  in  the  number  of  three  thousand  virgins,  the  fairest  of 
Asia,  some  happy  concubine  might  console  her  master  for  the 
age  or  the  indifference  of  Sira." — Gibbon,  vol.  viii.  c.  46.  p. 
224.  8vo. 

VOL.    I.  E 


50         FROM   BAGDAD,    ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

than  those  of  the  isolated  buildings  enume- 
rated, among  the  mounds  of  which  the  bear- 
ings are  given  from  this  spot.^ 

We  returned  at  sun -set  by  the  western 
quarter  of  the  town,  passing  round  the  gar- 
dens, and  coming  along  the  banks  of  a  canal 
leading  from  the  Giaour-SoOjf  and  running 

*  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  mention  of  Dastagherd 
in  D'Herbelot's  Bihliotheqve  Orient  ale,  though  the  Life  of  Chos- 
roes,  its  possessor,  is  given  at  length  from  Mirkhond.  Gibbon, 
however,  who  had  an  opportunity  of  consulting  the  best  au- 
thorities, constantly  speaks  of  it  as  a  palace,  or  a  retired  seat, 
rather  than  a  city ;  though  he  couples  it  with  Artemita,  with- 
out assigning  a  reason  for  what  had  not  hitherto  been  dis- 
puted. This  historian,  in  his  account  of  the  third  expedition 
of  Heraclius,  A.  D.  &%7 ,  after  describing  the  victorious  results 
of  the  battle  of  Nineveh  to  the  Greeks,  says  :  "  The  diligence 
of  Heraclius  was  not  less  admirable  in  the  use  of  victory ;  by 
a  march  of  forty-eight  miles  in  four-and-twenty  hours,  his  van- 
guard occupied  the  bridges  of  the  Greater  and  the  Lesser  Zab, 
and  the  cities  and  palaces  of  Assyria  were  open  for  the  first 
time  to  the  Romans.  By  a  just  gradation  of  magnificent 
scenes,  they  penetrated  to  the  royal  seat  of  Dastagherd,  and 
though  much  of  the  treasure  had  been  removed,  and  much  had 
been  expended,  the  remaining  wealth  appears  to  have  exceeded 
their  hopes,  and  even  to  have  satiated  their  avarice.  From  the 
palace  of  Dastagerd  he  pursued  his  march  within  a  few  miles 
of  Modain  or  Ctesiphon,  till  he  was  stopped  on  the  banks  of 
the  Arba  by  the  difficulty  of  the  passage,  the  rigour  of  the 
•  season,  and  perhaps  the  fame  of  an  impregnable  capital." — 
Gibbon,  vol.  viii.  c.  46.  p.  250.  8vo. 

f  The  term  "  Giaour,"  so  commonly  applied  to  infidels  by 


TO    KESRABAD,    OR    DASTAGHERD.  51 

close  by  the  walls,  from  which  canal  the  town 
and  neighbouring  gardens  are  watered. 

On  further  enquiry  respecting  the  river 
here,  we  were  told  that'Bakouba  was  seated 
on  the  main  stream  of  the  Diala ;  that 
Shahraban  stood  on  a  smaller  stream,  going 
afterwards  into  that  river ;  but  that  the 
Giaour-Soo  is  a  distinct  stream  from  all 
these,  discharging  itself  into  the  Tigris, 
though  the  exact  point  of  such  discharge 
no  one  here  knew  accurately.  Neither  of 
these  streams,  it  was  said,  were  the  same  as 
that  of  Khan-e-Keen,  as  had  been  told  us 
before,  this  last  being  the  Sirwund  of  som.e, 
and  the  Silwund  of  others ;  while  at  Kassr- 

the  Turks,  and  used  in  that  sense  as  a  title  of  one  of  Lord  By- 
ron's beautiful  poems,  is  thought  by  some  to  be  a  corrupt  ab- 
breviation of  Guebr,  or  fire-worshipper,  bestowed  on  the  follow- 
ers of  Zoroaster,  who  were  the  first  infidels  against  which  the 
Mohammedan  arms  were  directed  out  of  their  own  country. — 
Malcolms  History  of  Persia^  vol.  i.  p.  200. 

Tavernier  says  :  "  Je  recontrai,  d  Isfahan,  en  1 647,  un  de  ces 
Guares,  ou  anciens  Persans,  qui  adoraient  le  feu."  And  again  : 
"  Je  passe  maintenant  a  la  religion  de  Gaures,  ou  Guebres." — 
Voyages  des  Tavernier,  par  J.  B.  /.  Breton.  Paris,  1810.  12mo. 
tome  i.  c.  5.  p.  108 ;  ii.  c.  3.  p.  138. 

Langles,  the  celebrated  French  Orientalist,  says  :  "  Gaour 
est  la  corruption  de  Kafour,  pluriel  du  mot  Arabic  Kafer,  Infi- 
dele." — Voyages  de  Chardin.   Paris,  1811.  vol.  viii.  p.  365.  8vo. 

E    2 


52         FilOM    BAGDAD,   ACROSS    THE    DIALA, 

Shirine,  and  at  Sirpool  further  east  of  us,  is 
the  Erwend  or  Elwund,  with  the  same  per- 
mutation of  letters.* 

*  In  the  routes  given  in  the  Appendix  to  Morier's  Travels 
through  Persia,  all  these  streams  are  confounded  in  one,  and 
spoken  of  as  the  Alwund,  even  to  Bakouba,  which  is  evidently 
erroneous.  The  names  of  places  there  are  also  often  mis-spelt ; 
but  the  difficulty  first  of  obtaining  accurate  information  on 
what  an  enquirer  does  not  see  for  himself  in  these  countries, 
and  next  of  committing  it  to  record  on  the  spot,  is  a  sufficient 
excuse  for  much  greater  errors  than  these. 


CHAPTER  II. 


BRIDGE  ACROSS  THE  RIVER  SILWUND. 


Published  by  Henry  Colburn,  8  New  Burlington  Struct     .Tan.  1,  1829. 


CHAPTER  11. 

FROM  DASTAGHERD  TO  ARTEMITA,  OR  KHAN- 
E-KEEN,  AND  FROM  THENCE  TO  HELLOW- 
LA,    OR    KASSR-SHIRINE. 

Sept.  8th. — The  morning  came,  without 
any  preparation  for  departure,  and  I  began 
to  fear  we  were  fixed  here  for  many  days  to 
come.  By  going  round,  however,  to  all  the 
cells  and  chambers  of  the  khan,  and  using 
alternately  expressions  of  encouragement  and 
reproach,  we  at  length  persuaded  about  half 
a  dozen  of  the  most  courageous  of  our  com- 
panions that  it  was  pusillanimous  to  be 
afraid  of  moving,  when  no  danger  was  known 
to  exist  on  our  way :  and  it  was  amusing  to 
see  how  soon  the  few  whom  we  were  able  to 
win  over,  turned  their  backs  upon  their 
former  comrades,  and  called  them  woman- 
hearted,  and  timid  creatures,  for  refusing  to 


54  FROM   DASTAGHEKD 

follow  their  example;  to  which  the  others 
made  no  reply. 

As  I  was  now  looked  upon  as  the  caravan- 
bashi,  or  head,  from  being  the  chief  mover  of 
this  party,  and  as  the  Dervish  Ismael  and 
myself  were  indeed  by  far  the  best  mounted 
and   most  completely  armed  of  the  whole 
troop,  we  performed  the  duties  of  leaders,  by 
filling  the  pipes  and  nargeels  of  all  our  com- 
panions from  our  own  stock  of  tobacco,  and 
serving  coffee  to  our  select  comrades  from 
our  own  coffee-pot.     All  this  was  done  with 
great  dispatch,  so  that  soon  after  sun-rise  we 
were  mounted,  and  quitting  the  khan,  leaving 
behind  us  within  its  walls,  a  caravan  destined 
for   Bagdad,  and  the  Persian  pilgrims  who 
had  come  with  us  from  thence,  thus  far,  but 
who  refused  to  go  on  without  further  pro- 
tection. 

Our  course  now  lay  nearly  east,  over  a 
plain,  which  brought  us  in  half  an  hour  to 
the  two  heaps  called  Nimrod-Tuppe  and 
Shah-Tuppe,  between  which  we  passed,  with- 
out seeing  any  thing  remarkable  in  them, 
more  than  common  mounds  of  earth;  though 
they  probably  might  have  shown  vestiges  of 
former  buildings  had  they  been  carefully  ex- 


TO   ARTEMITA,    OR    KHAN-E-KEEN.  55 

amined,  a  task  which  I  could  not  now  step 
aside  from  the  road  to  execute. 

The  Nimrod-Tuppe  has  a  tradition  at- 
tached to  it,  of  a  palace  having  been  built 
there  by  Nimrod;  and  the  Shah-Tuppe  is 
said  by  some  to  have  been  a  pleasure-house ; 
by  others,  to  be  the  grave  of  an  Eastern  mo- 
narch, coming  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  from 
India,  who,  being  pleased  with  the  beauty  of 
the  situation,  halted  here  to  take  up  his 
abode,  and  ended  his  days  on  the  spot. 

Just  beyond  these  mounds,  we  crossed,  by 
a  flat  bridge,  over  a  good  artificial  canal. 
The  stream  which  filled  it  was  narrow,  but 
deep  and  clear,  and  came  from  the  river 
called  the  Giaour-Soo,  watering  several  por- 
tions of  the  surrounding  country  in  its  way. 
Our  next  hour's  journey  was  over  a  gravelly 
and  desert  tract,  which  brought  us  to  the 
foot  of  a  ridge  of  sand-stone  and  gravel-hills, 
running  north  and  south  across  the  plain. 

We  were  about  an  hour  in  ascending  these 
on  the  western,  and  descending  them  on  the 
eastern  side,  at  the  foot  of  which  we  came 
on  a  second  plain,  similar  to  the  first,  both 
in  its  soil  and  extent.  The  traversing  this 
occupied  just  another  hour,  when  we  enjoyed 


56  FROM   DASTAGHERD 

an  extensive  view  of  the  plain  of  Khan-e- 
Keen,  which  seemed  to  have  more  verdure 
and  fertility  than  any  grounds  we  had  seen, 
since  quitting  the  environs  of  Bagdad. 

Our  course  across  this  was  about  east- 
north-east,  and,  when  we  had  gone  an  hour 
and  a  half,  we  had,  abreast  of  us  on  our  left, 
a  small  village  of  mud-built  huts,  called  Bu- 
trakus,  and  near  it  some  grass  and  reeded 
huts,  of  Arab  families.  The  tribes  occupy- 
ing this  plain,  are  those  of  El-Boozweid,  El- 
Mujummah,  and  El-Beni  Weis  ;  they  live  to- 
gether in  great  harmony,  having  their  sepa- 
rate portions  of  land  well  defined.  Unlike 
the  Arabs  generally,  they  are  cultivators  of 
the  soil,  as  well  as  herdsmen  and  shepherds  : 
for  this,  however,  they  have  to  pay  a  regular 
tribute  to  the  Pasha  of  Bagdad. 

In  another  half  hour  we  entered  the  town 
of  Khan-e-Keen,  passed  through  the  first  por- 
tion of  it,  crossed  the  bridge  which  connects 
this  to  the  second,  and  alighted  at  an  excel- 
lent caravanserai  in  perfect  safety,  not  having 
had  the  slightest  cause  for  alarm  throughout 
the  whole  of  our  journey. 

From  the  circumstance  of  our  having  tra- 


TO   ARTEMITA,    OR    KHAN-E-KEEN.  57 

veiled  in  so  small  a  party,  and  from  a  sup- 
posed Arab  being  at  the  head  of  it,  there 
were  so  many  persons  of  the  town,  and 
travellers  halting  here  on  their  journey,  who 
came  to  hear  the  news,  and  pay  their  respects 
to  the  Hadjee-Aga,  that  I  was  occupied  the 
whole  of  the  afternoon  in  receiving  and  en- 
tertaining company. 

At  El-Assr,  I  washed  for  prayer,  my  Der- 
vish having  already  perfected  me  in  this 
ceremony,  the  prescribed  forms  of  which  are 
minute  and  intricate ;  and  taking  occasion 
while  I  was  thus  employed,  to  hint  to  the 
visitors  that  a  little  repose  would  be  welcome 
after  devotion,  they  gradually  dispersed,  and 
left  me,  for  a  short  period  at  least,  alone.  I 
profited  by  this  occasion  to  take  some  clean 
linen,  and  go  down  to  the  river's  side  for  the 
double  purpose  of  washing,  and  of  being  un- 
observed, that  I  might  put  to  paper  my  notes 
of  our  route,  as  it  was  impossible,  from  the 
crowded  state  of  the  khan,  to  attempt  to  write 
there,  without  betraying  myself  as  a  stranger. 

I  enjoyed  my  evening  bath  with  all  the 
privacy  I  could  desire ;  but  as  the  sun  was 
nearly  set,  I  caught  only  a  few  minutes  after- 


58  FllOM    DASTAGHERD 

wards  to  execute  the  other  portion  of  the 
task  for  which  I  had  thus  stolen  away. 

The  town  of  Khan-e-Keen  consists  of  two 
portions,  occupying  the  respective  banks  of 
the  river  Silwund,  which  are  connected  toge- 
ther by  a  bridge  across  the  stream.  The 
river  here  flows  nearly  from  south  to  north 
through  the  town ;  about  half  a  mile  to  the 
southward  of  the  bridge  the  bend  of  the  river 
is  seen,  where  the  stream  comes  from  the 
eastward;  it  then  goes  north  for  about  a  mile, 
and  afterwards  turns  westerly,  bending  gra- 
dually to  the  southward,  so  as  to  form  the 
Giaour-Soo,  which  runs  to  the  west  of  Kes- 
rabad. 

The  river  is  here,  however,  called  the  Sir- 
wund  or  Silwund,  and  has  its  source  in  the 
eastern  mountains,  though  no  one  at  the 
place  pretends  to  know  the  exact  distance  of 
it  from  hence.  The  bridge  is  newly  built  of 
brick-work,  and  is  supported  on  thirteen 
pointed  arches  and  buttresses,  all  of  good 
masonry.  It  is  high,  broad,  and  well  paved 
across,  and  is  a  hundred  and  eighty  horse- 
paces  long,  though  the  river  itself  is  not,  on 
an  average,  more  than  half  that  breadth. 


TO    AUTEMITA,    OR    KHAN-E-KEEN.  59 

Advantage  has  been  taken  of  a  bed  of  solid 
rock,  which  lies  in  the  centre  of  the  stream, 
to  make  it  the  foundation  of  the  bridge ;  and 
the  water  of  the  river  is  led  under  each  of 
the  arches,  through  a  narrow  and  deep  chan- 
nel, originally  cut  no  doubt  in  the  rock,  but 
since  worn  into  deep  and  apparently  natu- 
ral beds,  leaving  each  side  of  the  rock  dry. 
In  this  way,  each  arch  has  under  it  two 
broad  level  spaces  of  stone,  with  a  deep  and 
rapid  current  going  between  them ;  so  that, 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  when  the  water  is 
low,  a  person  can  walk  dry-shod  across  the 
rock,  by  the  side  of  the  bridge :  and  the 
places  beneath  the  arches  form  so  many 
shady  retreats,  where  parties  assemble  to  en- 
joy refreshments  by  the  water,  which  is  pe- 
culiarly clear,  from  running  in  a  gravelly 
bed,  and  is  of  pure  and  excellent  taste. 

The  western  portion  of  Khan-e-Keen, 
which  is  the  largest,  approaches  close  to  the 
edge  of  a  cliff,  overlooking  the  stream,  and 
is  banked  up  in  some  places  by  a  brick  walk 
The  eastern  division  is  smaller,  but  contains 
an  excellent  khan,  built  in  the  Persian  style, 
and   capable   of  receiving  a   large   caravan. 


60  FROM   DASTAGHERD 

Both  divisions  contain  together  about  fifteen 
hundred  dwellings,  and  a  population  of  from 
ten  to  twelve  thousand  inhabitants.  There 
are  two  principal  mosques  in  the  place,  and 
the  people  are  all  of  the  sect  of  the  Soon- 
nees.  Among  the  inhabitants  are  a  few 
Jews,  but  no  Christians.  The  Governor  is 
subject  to  Bagdad,  and  pays  a  tribute  to  the 
Pasha,  which  is  drawn  from  agriculture  and 
the  profits  made  on  supplies  to  casual  pas- 
sengers. The  language  spoken  is  chiefly 
Turkish. 

There  are  many  excellent  gardens  at 
Khan-e-Keen,  and  no  want  of  trees  ;  while 
the  banks  of  the  river,  which  are  low  both 
above  and  below  the  town,  though  one  of 
them  is  high  at  the  town  itself,  are  covered 
with  verdure.  Tradition  says,  that  in  this 
place  was  formerly  a  fine  park,  and  two 
palaces,  the  work  of  Ferhad,  the  celebrated 
architect  and  sculptor,  and  lover  of  Shirine; 
one  of  these  palaces,  named  Berzmahan,  being 
for  Shirine  herself,  and  the  other  the  place 
from  whence  Khosrou,  or  Kesra,  her  lord, 
used  to  survey  his  troops.  No  situation  could 
be  more  agreeable  for  parks  or  palaces,  but 


TO   ARTEMITA,   OR   KHAN-E-KEEN.  61 

no  remains  of  any  great  buildings  were  now 
to  be  traced  * 

In  the  Memoir  on  the  Expedition  of  He- 
raclius,  before  alluded  to,  mention  is  made 
of  a  city  called  Artemita,  of  which,  from  the 
correspondence  of  relative  distance  and  local 
feature,  I  should  conceive  this  place  of 
Khan-e-Keen  to  be  the  site. 

Strabo  speaks  of  Artemita  as  a  celebrated 
city.  Isidore  of  Charax  says,  that  it  was 
seated  on  a  river  called  the  Silla.  Its  dis- 
tance from  Ctesiphon  and  Seleucia  is  given 
respectively  by  Isidore  of  Charax,  at  fifteen 
schoenes,  in  "  Stathmis  Parthicis ;"  by  Strabo 
at  500  stadia  ;  and  by  the  Theodosian  Tables 
at  seventy-one  Roman  miles.  According  to 
Isidore  it  was  a  Greek  city,  and  its  name  is 

*  "  Ferhad,que  I'amour  deSchirine  avait  suivi  jusqu'au  fond 
des  solitudes,  construisit  un  immense  pare,  dont  on  voit  encore 
les  restes,  entre  Bagdad  et  Kermanschah,  proche  de  Kharkin 
(Khan-e-Keen)  et  au  milieu  duquel  s'elevoient  en  amphitheatre 
deux  palais  en  regard :  Tun,  nomme  Berzmahan,  destine  au 
logement  de  Schirine ;  I'autre  plus  spacieux  et  contigu  k  une 
haute  tour  a  plusieurs  fetages,  ou  Khosrow  devait  se  placer  pour 
faire  la  revue  de  ses  troupes." — Itineraire  d'un  Voyage  en  Perse 
par  le  voie  de  Bagdad^  par  M.  Rousseau^  Consul  General  de 
France  a  Halep,  1807.  Mines  de  I* Orient,  torn.  3,  p.  91. 
Fienne. 


62  FROM   DASTAGHERD 

thought  to  have  been  derived  from  the 
Greek  term  a^rsfj^rig,  or  d^rsf^ia,,  signifying  a 
healthy  and  advantageous  situation  ;  though 
it  had  another  name  among  the  people  of 
the  country,  which  the  same  author  writes 
Chalasar. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Khan-e-Keen  is  seated 
on  the  river  Silwund,  which  may  well  be  the 
Silla  of  antiquity  ;  that  its  distance  corre- 
sponds, with  sufficient  accuracy,  to  that  as- 
signed to  Artemita  from  Seleucia  and  Ctesi- 
phon.^  And  that  no  place  could  more  justly 
deserve  a  name  implying  a  healthy  and  ad- 
vantageous situation. f 

M.  D'Anville  says,  "  Artemita  was  a  Greek 
city,  on  a  stream  whose  name,  which  is 
sometimes   written  Silla,  should   rather   be 

*  There  is  no  measuring  off  the  exact  distance  of  this  place 
on  Kinnier's  Map,  as  in  it  its  name  is  altogether  omitted.  In 
a  route  from  Sennah  by  Kermanshah  to  Bagdad,  by  Mr.  Webb, 
attached  to  the  geographical  memoir  for  the  illustration  of  this 
map,  Khanakee  is  stated  to  be  eighteen  miles  from  Kuzzelroo- 
baut  (or  Kesrabad)  and  this  measures  exactly  sixty  miles,  the 
distance  of  Dastagherd  from  Ctesiphon,  making  the  whole  se- 
venty-eight. 

t  Its  present  name  is  formed  of  ^;U-  a  Caravanseria,  and 

ji  collecting  together,  adjusting;  repairing,  composing;  mend- 
ing, forming,  framing,  adapting,  &c.  —  Richardson  s  Arabic 
Dictionartji  vol.  1,  p.  745. 


TO    AllTEMITA,    OR    KHAN-E-KEEN.  63 

called  Delas,  the   modern  form  whereof  is. 
Diala."^ 

We  have  already  seen  that  this  river  has 
been  as  frequently  confounded  with  other 
streams  in  antiquity,  as  the  Elwund  has 
been  in  the  latest  Itineraries  of  our  own 
times,  and  in  each  case  the  confusion  has 
given  rise  to  other  errors. 

It  is  thus  that  Artemita  and  Dastagherd 
are  considered  by  D'Anville,  to  be  the  same 
place  under  a  Greek  and  an  Oriental  name, 
(though  that  name  is  given  by  Isidore  of 
Charax  as  Chalasa)  merely  because  the  same 
river  which  passed  by  Dastagherd  is  said  by 
Isidore  to  have  passed  by  Artemita  also  :  not 
considering  that  a  river  may  pass  by  twenty 
cities  in  its  course,  without  its  being  there- 
fore necessary  to  unite  them  in  one,  unless 
their  distances,  from  some  known  point,  agree 
exactly  with  each  other. 

But  though  it  does  not  follow,  because  the 
same  stream  is  said  to  have  passed  by  Ar- 
temita and  Dastagherd,  that  these  are  there- 
fore but  one  place  under  different  names  ;f 

*  Compendium  of  Ancient  Geography.     English  Edit.  8vo. 
vol.  2,  p.  469. 

+  Though  Kinnier  has  omitted  the  name  of  Khan -e- Keen  in 


64  FROM    DASTAGHERD 

still  this  fact  gives  great  strength  to  the 
opinion,  that  the  SilU  is  no  other  than  the 
Silwund  of  the  present  day,  which,  after 
flowing  through  Artemita  at  Khan-e-Keen, 
goes  along  by  Dastagherd  at  Kesrabad,  suffi- 
ciently distant  to  the  north-west  of  that 
place  to  cover  the  approach  to  it  from  that 
direction  ;  being  there  called  the  Giaour-Soo, 
or  Water  of  the  Infidels,  most  probably  in 
allusion  to  the  Greeks  being  partially  im- 
peded by  it  on  their  march  against  the  palace 
there. 

Sept.  9th. — At  sun-rise  we  left  Khan-e- 
Keen  with  the  same  party  with  which  we 
entered  it  on  the  preceding  day,  and  went 
east-north-east,  over  rugged,  gravelly,  and 
barren  hills,  for  three  hours ;  when  we 
reached  an  old  enclosure  of  low  walls  with 
loop-holes,  being  a  very  poor  and  modern 
fort  of  the  Arabs,  called  Khallet-el-Subzey, 
in    a   solitary  situation,  and  renowned   for 

his  Map  of  Persia,  and  argues  strongly  against  the  supposition 
of  Artemita  and  Dastagherd  being  the  same  place  ;  it  is  sin- 
gular enough  that  he  has  given  them  both  the  same  position 
in  his  map  as  "  Artemita  or  Dastagherd,"  and  placed  them  in 
a  situation  with  which,  as  he  himself  admits  in  the  memoir, 
the  distance  of  Artemita  did  not  at  all  agree ! — See  Kinniers 
Memoir,  p.  306. 


TO    ARTEMITA,    OR    KHAN-E-KEEN.  65 

murders  and  treacherous  deeds.  We  pro- 
ceeded here  with  lighted  matches  and  primed 
pistols,  and  were  shown  the  graves  of  several 
passengers  who  had  been  killed  by  the  Arabs, 
and  buried  by  others  following  them  on  the 
same  road. 

Going  for  three  hours  more  on  the  same 
course,  having  all  the  way  barren  and  hilly 
ground,  we  arrived  just  before  noon  at  Kassr- 
Shirine;  and  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
before  entering  it,  we  touched  at  a  bend  of 
the  river  coming  from  that  place,  without 
crossing  its  stream  in  our  way. 

We  found  at  the  caravanserai  a  drove  of 
asses,  laden  with  salt,  which  had  been  brought 
from  Mendeli,  and  was  transporting  to  Ker- 
rund  :  it  was  of  the  rock  kind,  and  was  said 
to  be  procured  in  abundance  from  salt-mines 
in  that  neighbourhood.  A  few  questions  put 
to  the  people  who  were  employed  in  the 
conveyance  of  this  commodity,  though  asked 
with  great  caution,  were  sufficient  to  excite 
suspicion  of  my  motives ;  so  that  it  was  found 
unsafe  to  follow  them  up  by  others. 

The  Sheeah  sect  of  the  Moslems,  which 
embraces  nearly  all  the  Persians,  appeared 
to   me    to  be  much  more  fanatic  than    the 

VOL.    I.  F 


66  FROM    DASTAGHEUD 

Soonnees,  whom  they  regard  as  heretics,  and 
themselves  as  orthodox  ;  which  order  is  of 
course  reversed  by  their  opponents.  They  are, 
comparatively  speaking,  the  Roman  Catholics 
of  the  East, — revering  tombs,  and  saints,  and 
relics,  more  than  the  Soonnees.  They  are 
more  punctual,  and  longer  in  their  prayers 
and  washings,  and  they  despise  the  Soonnees 
heartily  for  their  want  of  ceremony  ;  besides 
which,  many  of  them  will  neither  eat  nor 
drink  knowingly  with  an  unbeliever ;  nor 
even  take  water  out  of  the  same  cup  after 
him,  without  first  cleansing  it  of  its  defile- 
ment. Among  such  a  people  I  felt  myself 
continually  under  apprehension,  and  was 
straitened  so  much  in  my  opportunities  of 
making  observations  on  the  route,  or  of  noting 
them  down,  that  as  long  as  I  remained  with 
them,  I  despaired  of  being  able  to  record 
more  than  outline  memorandums  for  future 
reference  and  use. 

Towards  evening,  under  pretence  of  wash- 
ing in  the  river  and  performing  my  evening 
devotions  by  the  stream,  I  stole  an  hour  to 
ramble  over  the  ruins  here.  The  pile  more 
particularly  called  Kassr-Shirine,  is  a  square 
of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  paces  on  each 


TO    ARTEMITA,    OR    KHAN-E-KEEN.  67 

side,  and  appears  to  be  the  remains  of  a 
military  fort.  It  is  now  about  thirty  feet 
high  in  its  most  perfect  parts,  and  has  six 
circular  bastions  on  each  front,  built  in  the 
Saracenic  style.  The  interior  of  the  square 
is  nearly  filled  up  by  the  rubbish  of  build- 
ings formerly  within  it,  many  parts  of  the 
walls  of  which  are  still  standing. 

Like  all  the  old  Eastern  castles,  this  seems 
to  have  been  erected  on  a  naturally  elevated 
mound,  which  was  subsequently  cased  over 
with  masonry  on  its  exterior  face, — thus 
forming  the  hill  of  fortification,  while  the 
edifices  within  stood  on  the  high  level  of  its 
summit,  sheltered  only  by  a  parapet  wall 
surrounding  the  upper  edge  of  the  mound 
itself.  The  masonry  of  the  outer  fort,  as 
seen  at  present,  is  of  large  unhewn  stones, 
rudely  but  strongly  imbedded  in  a  mass  of 
lime  cement ;  but  from  its  extremely  rough 
appearance  it  is  probable  that  it  once  had  an 
outer  coating  of  brick,  or  of  smaller  hewn 
stones,  as  a  casing  to  this  rude  interior. 
Near  this  fort  is  a  small  mound,  which  is 
called  Kassr-el-Sughyre,  or  the  little  palace, 
to  distinguish  it  from  the  Kassr-el-Kebeer, 
or  the  greater  one  before  described. 

F    2 


68  FROM    DASTAGHERD 

Both  of  these  castles,  or  palaces,  are  seated 
on  an  elevated  ground,  on  the  northern  bank 
of  the  river  Alwund,  and  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  distant  from  its  stream,  which  here 
flows  from  east  to  west,  along  the  valley  to 
the  southward  of  the  ruins;  and  on  the  north, 
at  the  distance  of  a  mile  or  two,  are  steep 
and  rugged  hills  ;  while  all  around,  the  soil 
is  bare,  destitute  of  wood,  and  in  general 
void  of  beauty. 

Besides  the  ruin  called  Kassr-Shirine, 
which  gives  name  to  the  place  itself,  there 
are  here  extensive  remains  of  a  large  city, 
stretching  for  a  mile  or  two  to  the  eastward. 
Among  these,  no  one  edifice  is  seen  entire  ; 
but  the  outer  wall  of  enclosure  is  perfect 
in  many  parts,  and  is  elsewhere  so  easily 
traced,  that  a  plan  of  the  enceinte  might  be 
made  upon  the  spot.  These  walls  are  built 
of  large  hewn  stones,  well  cemented  with 
thin  layers  of  lime,  and  are  of  strong  and 
finished  masonry. 

The  native  Persians  still  preserve  the  tra- 
dition of  these  works  being  the  remains  of 
the  city  of  Hellowla,  which  they  say  belonged 
to  the  Infidels  before  the  days  of  the  Pro- 
phet, and  was  founded  by  Kesra  the  king. 


TO    AUTEMITA,    OR    KHAN-E-KEEK.  69 

This  opinion  is  consistent  with  the  testimony 
of  history,  and  each  thus  confirms  the  accu- 
racy of  the  other. 

D'Herbelot,  under  the  article  Khosrou 
Ben  Hormouz,  says  :  "  Ben  Shohnah  dit  que 
Chosroes  batit  une  ville,  du  nom  de  sa  mai- 
tresse  Shirin,  situee  entre  les  villes  de 
Huluan  et  de  Khanekin."^  This  corre- 
sponds precisely  with  the  situation  of  the 
present  Kassr-Shirine,  which  is  just  midway 
between  Halouan,  the  present  Zohaub,  and 
Khan-e-Keen,  the  last  station  we  had  passed 
on  our  way. 

The  Arabic  geographers  and  historians 
place  the  city  of  Hellowla,  which  they  say 
was  founded  by  Khosrou  Parviz,  and  used  as 
one  of  his  favourite  abodes,  at  six  or  seven 
fursungs  from  Khan-e-Keen  ;  which  also  cor- 
responds with  the  site  of  the  present  remains. 
Some  of  the  native  Persian  authors  indeed 
say,  that  Khosrou,  or  Kesra,  built  seven  kassrs 
in  seven  different  places,  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  his  beloved  Shirine,  one  of  which 
was  at  Hellowla. 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  all  advert  to 

*  Bibliotheque  Orientale,  vol.  ii.  p.  445.  4to. 


70  FROM    DASTAGHERD 

the  same  place ;  and  as  Hellowla  is  spoken 
of  as  existing  at  the  period  of  the  palace  in 
question  being  built,  it  might  have  been  also 
that  the  name  of  Shirine  was  thenceforth 
conferred  on  Hellowla  as  a  farther  mark  of 
honour.  Be  this  as  it  may,  .the  situation 
and  relative  distances  cannot  be  mistaken, 
and  evidently  point  to  the  same  spot ;  while 
the  tradition  of  this  city  being  the  Hel- 
lowla of  the  Infidels,  is  known  to  every  one 
here,  though  the  name  of  Shirine  is  still 
more  readily  preserved,  from  its  being  more 
intimately  associated  with  the  popular  tales 
of  the  country. 

Of  these  I  had  already  heard  several,  de- 
picting the  violence  of  the  passion  enter- 
tained for  this  lovely  female  by  Ferhad  the 
Georgian,  whom  the  jealous  Khosrou  em- 
ployed in  works  of  sculpture  and  architec- 
ture to  divert  his  attention,  but  who  never- 
theless, by  the  aid  of  a  thousand  ingenious 
stratagems,  enjoyed  the  embraces  of  this  fair 
queen  in  secret.  Many  portions  of  these 
tales,  as  far  as  I  remembered  them,  corre- 
sponded with  what  I  had  read  on  the  same 
subject,  though  others  were  tinged  with  still 
higher  extravagance  of  passion,  and  enter- 


TO    AliTEMITA,    OR    KHAN-E-KEEN.  71 

prize  and  adventure  to  gratify  it,  than  the 
more  sober  records  of  the  written  page."^ 

The  modern  town  of  Kassr-Shirine  con- 
sists of  about  fifty  dweUings,  enclosed  within 
a  wall  of  mud  and  stone,  between  the  ruins 
of  the  old  palace  and  the  river.  The  khan, 
however,  which  is  outside  this  enclosure,  is 
large  and  commodious;  in  its  construction 
were  used  a  large  quantity  of  square  red 
bricks,  similar  to  those  seen  at  Modain,  and 

*  "  On  lit  dans  quelques  livres  d'Histoire  que  Shirin  6toit  le 
nom  d'une  fille,  qui  d'abord  6toit  esclave  d'un  des  premiers 
Seigneurs  de  la  Perse.  Parviz  dans  sa  jeunesse  alloit  de  terns 
en  terns  chez  ce  Seigneur,  et  se  plaisoit  a  badiner  et  a  se  divertir 
avec  cette  jeune  esclave.  Le  maitre  de  la  maison  defendit  a 
Shirin  de  se  preter  aux  jeux  de  Parviz  ;  mais  elle  n'eut  aucun 
egard  a  cette  defense.  Un  jour,  Parviz  ayant  6te  son  anneau, 
le  donna  h  Shirin  ;  le  maitre  de  Shirin  en  etant  instruit,  entra 
dans  une  grande  colore  et  ordonna  h  un  de  ses  confidens  de 
prendre  cette  jeune  fille  et  de  la  jeter  dans  I'Euphrate.  Lorsque 
Shirin  se  vit  sur  le  bord  du  fleuve,  elle  siipplia  celui  qui  la  con- 
duisoit  de  lui  sauver  la  vie.  *  Je  ne  puis/  lui  dit  cet  homme, 
*  desobeir  a  mon  bienfaiteur,  mais  je  vais  vous  jeter  dans  un 
endroit  d'ou  vous  pourriez  vous  sauver.'  L'ayant  done  jete 
dans  I'eau,  il  s'en  alia,  Shirin  sortit  de  I'eau,  et  se  retira  chez 
un  moine,  qui  demeuroit  a  peu  de  distance  de  ce  lieu.  *  Je  me 
suis,'  lui  dit  elle,  *  donne  a  Dieu,  et  je  suis  venu  dans  I'inten- 
tion  de  m'attacher  a  votre  service.'  Ce  moine  consentit  h  la 
recevoir,  et  elle  demeura  long -terns  avec  lui.  Dans  la  suite, 
apr^s  que  Parviz  fut  monte  sur  le  trone,  une  troupe  des  soldats 
de  son  armee  passant  pres  de  ce  monastere,  Shirin,  qui  le  vit, 


7?  FROM   DASTAGHEllD 

taken  probably  from  the  ruins  above.  The 
river  Alwund  flows  by  the  spot,  in  a  valley 
running  from  east  to  west ;  and  after  pass- 
ing the  town  about  half  a  mile,  it  makes  a 
bend  to  the  south-westward  :  its  stream  is 
narrow,  but  rapid  and  clear,  and  its  banks 
are  generally  covered  with  rushes. 

Sir  John  Malcolm,  and  after  him  M'Donald 
Kinnier,  had  conceived  the  ruins  here  to  be 
those  of  Dastagherd ;  but  besides  that  the 
circumstances   described   correspond   so   ac- 

chargea  I'un  d'entre  eux  de  dire  au  roi,  lorsqu'ils  seroient  ren- 
dus  plus  pres  de  lui,  que  Shirin  Tesclave  ^toit  dans  un  tel  mo- 
nastere ;  et  elle  lui  donna  son  anneau  afin  qu'il  le  portdt  h  Par- 
viz  comme  une  marque  h  laquelle  reconnoitrait  la  Verite  de  ce 
qu'elle  le  chargeat  de  lui  dire  de  sa  part.  Parviz  ayant  re9U 
par  ce  soldat  le  message  de  Shirin,  lui  donna  des  grandes  re- 
compenses, et  il  fit  partir  des  officiers  de  son  palais  avec  des 
filles  esclaves  pour  aller  chercher  Shirin,  et  I'amener  dans  une 
litiere  h  Madain,  avec  un  grand  cortege." 

To  show,  however,  that  even  the  histories  of  his  day,  not- 
withstanding that  they  agreed  in  the  main  facts,  were  as  varied 
in  their  details  of  this  romantic  story,  as  the  traditions  of  the 
present  times  are  on  the  same  subject,  the  writer  says :  "  Ce 
recit  nest  pas  conforme  a  ce  qu'on  lit  dans  le  Shahnameh." 

He  adds :  "  On  dit  qu'une  beaute  parfaite  doit  reunir  qua- 
rante  qualites,  et  que  dans  le  siecle  de  Parviz,  aucune  autre 
que  Shirin  ne  remplissoit  toutes  les  conditions  requises." — See 
Memoires  sttr  diverses  Antiquites  de  la  Perse,  par  M.  Silvestre  de 
Sac?/,  p.  404,  Paris,  4to.  and  the  Bibliotkeque  Orientale,  Art. 
<'Ferbad,  Khosrou,  and  Shirin," 


TO   ARTEMITA,    OR    KHAN-E-KEEN.  73 

curately  with  the  site  of  Hello wla  and  Shirine, 
it  is  deficient  in  the  three  leading  features 
given  to  the  site  of  Dastagherd.  The  ap- 
proach to  it  from  the  northward  or  westward 
is  not  covered  by  a  deep  river,  the  stream 
being  on  the  south :  the  situation  itself  is 
such  as  could  not  be  easily  made  to  have 
around  it  every  thing  that  is  agreeable  in 
nature ;  and  its  distance  is  more  than  three 
days'  march  from  the  halt  of  Heraclius,  at 
the  river,  twelve  miles  from  Ctesiphon.  Mr. 
Kinnier,  who  in  his  map  fixes  both  Artemita 
and  Dastagherd  at  this  station  of  Kassr- 
Shirine,  endeavours  in  his  Memoir  to  prove 
that  these  two  were  not  one  and  the  same 
place.  He  objects  more  particularly  to  its 
being  the  true  site  of  the  former,  from  its 
disagreement  in  distance  with  the  five  hun- 
dred stadia  of  Isidore  and  Strabo,  or  some- 
what more  than  sixty  miles,  at  which  this 
is  placed  from  Ctesiphon,  —  Kassr-Shirine 
being,  as  he  himself  observes,  ninety  miles  at 
the  lowest  computation.^  If  it  be  too  dis- 
tant, then,  from  the  capital  for  the  site  of 
Artemita,  which  is  called  five  hundred  stadia, 

*  Geographical  Memoir  on  Persia,  p.  306,  4to. 


74  FJROM    DASTAGHERD 

or  seventy-one  Roman  miles,  it  is  still  more 
so  for  that  of  Dastagherd,  which  is  expressly 
said  to  have  been  only  sixty  miles  from 
thence.^  The  situation  of  this  last,  too, 
seems  to  have  been  in  a  plain,  and  surround- 
ed by  a  country  of  great  beauty  and  fer- 
tility, to  judge  by  the  descriptive  features 
which  are  preserved  of  it  ;f  so  that  all  these 
considerations  united,  confirm  me  still  more 
in  the  opinion  that  Artemita  is  to  be  sought 
for  at  Khan-e-Keen,  and  Dastagherd  at  Kes- 
rabad. 

It  was  late  before  I  returned  to  the  khan, 
and  many  wonders  and  alarms  had  been  ex- 
pressed at  my  long  absence ;  but  a  timely 
distribution  of  coffee  among  the  enquirers, 
and  the  prayers  of  the  night  being  recited  in 
a  loud  voice,  happily  quieted  all  scruples. 

*  Dastagherd  was  situate  beyond  the  Tigris,  about  sixty  miles 
to  the  north  of  the  capital. — Gibbons  Decline  and  Full  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  vol.  viii.  p.  ;244  ;  and  D'Amille,  in  Memoires  de 
VAcademie  des  Inscriptions,  vol.  xxxii.  p.  568. 

t  "  The  adjacent  pastures  were  covered  with  flocks  and 
herds  ;  the  paradise,  or  park,  was  replenished  with  pheasants, 
peacocks,  ostriches,  roebucks,  and  wild  boars,  and  the  noble 
game  of  lions  and  tigers  was  sometimes  turned  loose  for  the 
bolder  pleasures  of  the  chace.'' — Gibbon,  vol.  viii.  c.  46,  p.  225. 
8vo. 


TO    AUTEMITA,    OR    KHAN-E-KEEN.  75 

Sept.  10th. — We  were  stirring  with  the 
dawn,  and  left  Kassr-Shirine  before  the  day 
broke  clearly.  Our  course  lay  east-north-east, 
and  led  directly  through  the  ruins  of  Hel- 
lowla,  which  extended  in  broken  portions  for 
nearly  an  hour's  ride.  The  most  conspicuous 
features  were  the  walls  before  described, 
built  of  large  hewn  stones.  The  whole  of 
the  city  stood  on  an  elevated  level,  and  ap- 
pears to  have  been  of  an  irregular  form,  while 
the  Alwund  flowed  along  in  a  valley  about 
half  a  mile  to  the  southward  of  it. 

As  we  passed  through  these  ruins,  I  again 
tempted  the  tale  of  wonder  and  of  love,  and 
found  a  readiness,  on  the  part  of  those  by 
whom  I  was  now  surrounded,  to  answer  all 
my  enquiries.  Questions  asked  of  them  re- 
lative to  objects  immediately  before  our  eyes 
were  too  natural  to  excite  suspicion  of  the 
motives  which  led  to  them,  though,  at  the 
same  time,  these  very  individuals  would  have 
wondered  much  if  I  had  made  a  single  en- 
quiry relative  to  Zohaub,  or  any  other  place 
at  all  out  of  our  immediate  route. 

Among  the  feats  recounted  of  Ferhad  the 
lover  of  Shirine,  and  one  which  it  was  ac- 


76  FROM    DASTAGHERD 

knowledged  that  nothing  but  the  violence 
of  his  passion  could  enable  him  to  do,  was, 
that  he  used  to  come  from  Kermanshah  and 
Bisitoon,  across  the  mountains  of  the  Tauk, 
passing  over  river,  rock,  and  valley,  in  one 
night,  enjoying  the  smiles  of  his  beloved,  and 
returning  again  to  his  labour  there,  between 
the  setting  and  the  rising  sun.  The  horse 
he  rode  on,  said  they,  was  one  from  the  plains 
of  Bajelan  below  us,  to  which  there  were 
then  none  equal  in  the  world ;  and  this 
animal,  whom  he  loved  next  to  Shirine  her- 
self,— since  by  his  aid  only  could  he  enjoy 
those  stolen  pleasures, — he  fed  with  new 
milk,  and  corn  steeped  in  honey,  always  from 
his  own  hands. 

In  recounting  the  end  of  this  renowned 
beauty,  they  said  that  she  either  died  of 
grief,  or  killed  herself  in  despair,  from  being 
detected  in  admitting  the  embraces  of  her 
devoted  lover  Ferhad, — Khosroe  the  King 
having  shut  her  up,  after  the  discovery,  in 
closer  confinement  than  before.  This,  how- 
ever, does  not  correspond  with  the  testimony 
of  Mirkhond,  who  terminates  her  romantic 
history  by  a  death  of  self-devotion  in  the 
tomb,  and  on  the  body  of  her  former  lord 


TO    ARTEMITA,   OR    KHAN-E-KEEN.  77 

Kesra,   like   the    unhappy   Juliet   over    the 
corpse  of  her  beloved  Romeo^. 

It  was  not  for  me  to  decide  on  the  pro- 
bability of  either  the  one  or  the  other  of 
these  narratives ;  but  after  having  recited 
that  version  of  the  tale  with  which  I  was 
most  familiar  from  my  reading,  a  young 
lad  of  fifteen,  who  was  of  our  party,  very 
shrewdly  asked,  "  If  the  passion  of  Ferhad 
was  so  warmly  returned  by  Shirine,  was  it 
likely  that  she  would  kill  herself  on  the 
tomb  of  Kesra  ?"  All  exclaimed.  Certainly 
not.  And  though  it  might  perhaps  be  more 
to  the  honour  of  her  sex,  that  such  a  tale 
of  her  death  should  obtain  current  belief, — 
yet  all  our  morning  party  (for  every  one  gave 
an  opinion  on  the  subject)  thought  it  much 
more  likely  that  her  death  was  from  the 
cause  and  in  the  manner  which  they  had 
stated. 

*  "  On  raconte,  qu'apres  le  meurtre  de  Parviz,  son  fils  Schi- 
rouieh  devint  amoreux  de  Shirin,  et  que  comme  il  la  soUicit- 
oit  vivement  de  condescendre  a  sa  passion,  elle  demanda  h, 
Schirouieh  de  lui  faire  ouvrir  la  porte  du  lieu  oil  etoit  depose 
le  corps  de  Parviz.  Ayant  obtenu  ce  qu'elle  desiroit,  elle  se 
rendit  en  ce  lieu,  et  avala  un  poison  violent,  dont  elle  mourut 
au  meme  instant." — Mirkhond :  translated  by  De  Sacy,  p.  404, 
et  seq.  Paris,  4to. 


78  FliOM    DASTAGHEllD,  &C. 

Those  who  have  travelled  extensively  them- 
selves need  not  be  told  how  important  the 
most  trifling  traditions  appear  when  related 
and  canvassed  on  the  spot  to  which  they 
refer  :  to  those  who  have  not,  however,  this 
explanation  is  perhaps  necessary:  and  it  may 
be  added,  that  it  is  just  in  proportion  to 
the  remoteness  of  the  scene  and  the  rude- 
ness of  the  people  that  these  local  tales 
have  charms,  for  him  who  treads  upon  the 
spot  itself,  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  con- 
vey to  one  who  reads  the  narrative  of  a  jour- 
ney in  his  library  or  his  closet. 


CHAPTER  III. 


OPEN  SQUARE,  OR  MARKET  PLACE  OF  ZOHAUB. 


Published  by  Henry  Colburii,  8  New  Burlington  Street.     Jan.  1, 1829. 


CHAPTER  III. 

FROM    HELLOWLA,    BY    THE    PLAIN    OF    BAJI- 
LAN,    TO    ZOHAUB    AND    SERPOOL. 

In  about  three  hours  after  leaving  the 
khan  at  Kassr-Shirine,  and  going  east-north- 
east over  a  rocky  and  hilly  ground,  we  saw 
on  our  left  an  extensive  plain,  covered  with 
verdure  and  encircled  on  all  sides  by  moun- 
tains. This  was  called  the  Plain  of  Bajilan, 
being  the  northern  termination  of  the  dis- 
trict of  Ghilan,  which  was  on  the  south  of 
us,  and  the  southern  point,  or  commencement 
of  Koordistan  to  the  north.  It  was  from 
this  plain  that  the  celebrated  horse  of  Fer- 
had  was  said  to  have  been  brought,  to  which 
there  was  no  equal ;  and  it  is  probable 
enough  that  the  Nisaean  pastures,  so  re- 
nowned in  antiquity  for  the  breed  of  horses 
there  produced,  was  also  on  this  spot  itself. 


80  FROM    HELLOWLA, 

The  road  from  hence  led  directly  to  Ser- 
pool,  our  next  stage,  in  an  easterly  direction, 
and  was  just  three  hours  more.  The  town 
of  Zohaub,  the  seat  of  the  Koordish  Pasha 
of  Bajilan,  was  pointed  out  to  the  northward 
of  us,  just  discernible  by  a  white  dome  amid 
a  cluster  of  trees,  as  it  stood  at  the  other 
extremity  of  the  plain,  at  a  distance  of  at 
least  nine  miles.  There  were  two  persons  of 
our  party  destined  for  this,  who  intended 
leaving  us  here ;  and  as  the  day  was  yet 
early,  and  we  were  assured  that  we  could 
reach  Serpool  sufficiently  in  time  to  continue 
our  way  with  the  caravan  of  asses  on  the 
following  morning,  we  determined  to  profit 
by  so  favourable  an  occasion  of  going  up  to 
Zohaub.  In  doing  this,  we  were  careful, 
however,  to  assign  a  proper  motive,  by  in- 
sisting that  we  had  business  there  with  a 
certain  Mohammed  Aga,  of  which  name 
there  were  no  doubt  twenty  in  the  place  (the 
name  being  as  common  as  John  Smith  or 
William  Jones  in  England),  and  should  push 
on  to  Serpool  to  arrive  there  before  night. 

We  accordingly  quitted  the  direct  road, 
and  pursued  our  way  across  the  plain,  on  a 
course  of  north-north-east,  passing   several 


TO    ZOHAUB    AND    SERPOOL.  81 

Koord  villages  of  straw  huts,  and  having  on 
each  side  of  us  fields  of  rice,  cotton,  tobacco, 
melons,  &c.  all  now  verdant,  and  watered  by 
running  streams  flowing  northerly  through 
the  plain,  and  leading  off  from  the  Alwund, 
which  we  had  left  to  the  southward  of  our 
road. 

The  Koords  of  the  plain  all  live  in  dwell- 
ings of  a  description  that  might  be  called 
either  huts  or  tents,  for  they  are  composed 
of  the  materials  generally  used  in  both,  and 
are  not  altogether  stationary.  Like  the  tents 
of  the  Turcomans,  the  awning  or  roof  is  often 
of  black  hair-cloth,  and  the  sides  and  parti- 
tions of  straw  matting,  crossed  by  diagonal 
lines  of  black  thread.  The  occupations  of 
the  people  as  pastors  and  cultivators,  as  well 
as  their  whole  domestic  economy,  resemble 
those  of  the  half  Bedouin  Arabs,  on  the 
eastern  frontier  of  Syria.  Their  dresses, 
however,  are  different.  Short  coats  or  long 
jackets  of  a  thick  white  woollen-cloth,  with 
overhanging  sleeves  like  the  Albanian  sol- 
diers, narrow  trowsers,  large  shoes  made  of 
plaited  woollen-yarns  sewn  together,  and  a 
conical  cap  of  the  same  thick  white  cloth  as 
their  jackets,  with  the  bottom  part  cut  into 

VOL.  I.  G 


82  '       FROM    HELLOWLA, 


n 


several  divisions,  which  are  either  turned  up 
or  let  down  at  the  pleasure  of  the  wearer, 
form  the  more  striking  peculiarities  of  their 
costume.  Most  of  them  wear  their  hair  long, 
which  is  often  brown,  and  hangs  in  curls 
upon  their  shoulders.  Their  persons  are 
stout  and  well  made,  though  rather  shorter 
and  thicker  than  the  ordinary  standard. 
Their  features  are  decidedly  different  from 
either  Arabs,  Turks,  or  Persians,  and  are 
rounder  and  flatter  than  either,  approaching 
nearer  to  the  Tartar  face  than  to  those 
named.  Their  language  has  a  nearer  affinity 
to  Persian  than  to  any  other,  which  may 
have  been  caused  by  proximity  of  situation, 
for  in  their  persons  they  are  evidently  a  dif- 
ferent race  of  men. 

As  we  approached  the  town  of  Zohaub, 
we  were  frequently  deceived  into  a  belief  of 
seeing  the  minarets  of  mosques  in  different 
directions,  but  these  proved  on  nearer  ap- 
proach to  be  tall  white  obelisks  in  the  burying- 
grounds  of  this  people.  Some  of  these  were 
seen  for  several  miles  off,  and  must  have  been 
at  least  twenty  or  thirty  feet  high.  Such  as 
we  saw  were  rudely  built  of  stone,  and  coated 
over   with  a  white  plaster.     They  were  all 


TO    ZOHAUB   AND    SERPOOL.  83 

of  the  form  used  in  ancient  Egypt,  and  are 
here  placed  only  over  the  graves  of  the  dead, 
the  size  and  height  being  proportioned  to 
the  wealth  and  consequence  of  the  occupier. 
This  was  a  kind  of  monument  that  I  had 
not  noticed  before,  though  we  were  assured 
that  it  was  in  use  among  all  the  Koords,  but 
was  peculiar  to  them. 

We  reached  the  town  of  Zohaub  about 
noon,  entering  it  by  the  southern  gate;  and 
passing  through  the  greater  part  of  the  in- 
terior we  alighted  at  a  small  and  crowded 
khan,  near  the  market-place,  at  its  northern 
extremity. 

As  this  town  is  out  of  the  common  route 
between  Turkey  and  Persia,  and,  properly 
speaking,  belongs  to  neither,  since  it  is  as 
often  independent  as  otherwise,  our  arrival 
here  caused  very  general  enquiry  as  to  what 
had  brought  us  this  way.  A  message  even 
came  from  the  Pasha  of  the  district,  ordering 
us  into  his  presence ;  and  it  was  said  that 
since  news  of  the  designs  of  Daood  Effendi 
on  Bagdad  had  reached  his  ears,  great  vigi- 
lance and  strict  enquiry  was  exercised  on  all 
who  might  arrive  from  thence,  as  few  wars 
happened    in     these    quarters   without   the 

G   2 


84  FROM    HELLOWLA, 

Koords  taking  part  with  one  or  other  of  the 
belligerents.^ 

We  repeated  the  story  of  our  having  busi- 
ness to  transact  with  a  certain  Mohammed 
Aga  of  Zohaub,  since  from  this  we  could  not 
retreat,  as  our  companions  had  circulated  the 
same  tale ;  and  no  less  than  four  of  that 
name  and  title  came  to  us  within  the  space 
of  an  hour,  but  we  persisted  in  it  that  nei- 
ther of  these  was  the  man. 

My  Dervish,  who  was  a  proficient  in  the 
art  of  dissimulation,  at  last  exclaimed,  "God 

*  Diodorus,  as  well  as  all  the  ancient  writers,  bears  testi- 
mony to  the  warlike  disposition  of  the  Carduchians.  The  ten 
thousand  Greeks,  in  their  retreat  to  their  own  country  after  the 
defeat  of  the  younger  Cyrus  at  Cunaxa,  had  to  pass  through 
their  mountains,  as  they  had  determined  to  avoid  the  barren 
deserts  by  which  they  had  approached  from  Issue,  through 
Thapsacus  on  the  Euphrates,  to  Babylon.  These  Carducians,  or 
Carduchi,  are  described  as  a  free  and  warlike  people,  enemies 
to  the  King,  and  very  good  soldiers,  especially  skilful  and  ex- 
perienced in  hurling  great  stones  out  of  slings,  and  shooting  in 
bows  of  a  vast  bigness  and  more  than  ordinary  strength.  These 
people  galled  the  Grecians  from  the  rising  grounds,  killing  and 
miserably  wounding  many  of  them  ;  for  their  arrows,  being 
above  two  cubits  long,  pierced  both  their  shields  and  breast- 
plates, so  that  no  armour  could  repel  their  force  ;  and  it  is  said 
that  these  sort  of  weapons  were  so  extraordinary  big,  that  the 
Grecians  used  to  cast  these  as  Saurians,  instead  of  their  thong 
darts.— See  Diodorus  Siculus,  B.  14.  c.  5. 


TO    ZOHAtJB    AND    SERPOOL.  85 

knows !  I  have  a  suspicion  that  all  is  not 
right.  It  may  not  be  so ! — God  forbid,  in- 
deed, that  it  should.  But  I  firmly  believe 
this  said  Mohammed  Aga,  to  whom  you  lent 
the  hundred  piastres  at  Bagdad,  to  be  some 
scoundrel  who  merely  assumed  the  name  for 
his  wicked  purpose,  and,  abusing  your  piety 
and  generosity,  cheated  you  under  the  sem- 
blance of  a  Zohaubi,  without  ever  having 
been  near  Zohaub  in  his  life." 

The  people  of  the  place  protested  that 
there  was  no  other  Mohammed  Aga  among 
them  whom  they  knew  of,  except  the  four 
here  assembled ;  and  when  I  had  acquitted 
these  of  all  claim,  we  were  suffered  to  rest 
awhile,  and  our  tale  gained  general  credit, 
though  it  excited  much  more  blame  for  our 
misplaced  confidence  than  pity  for  our  sup- 
posed distress. 

The  town  of  Zohaub  is  thought  to  contain 
about  a  thousand  dwellings,  which  is  an  esti- 
mate certainly  not  much  beyond  the  truth. 
These  are  all  small ;  but  as  they  have  each 
a  garden  or  court  adjoining,  they  spread  over 
a  large  space  of  ground.  We  did  not  perceive 
any  dwelling  more  than  one  story  high  ;  and 
the  khans,  of  which  there  were  two  or  three, 


86  JbROM    HELLOWLA, 

as  well  as  the  bazaars,  were  all  comparatively 
diminutive. 

The  town  is  enclosed  by  a  wall,  turreted 
and  flanked  by  bastions,  or  round  towers,  in 
the  Turkish  style :  it  has  no  ditch,  but  the 
wall  itself,  without  this,  is  a  sufficient  de- 
fence from  cavalry  and  foot  soldiers,  the  only 
forces  known  here,  artillery  being  seldom  or 
never  employed. 

The  Governor,  Futteh  Pasha,  was  himself 
a  Koord,  and  commanded  the  whole  of  the 
district  of  Bajelan,  the  most  southern  part 
of  Koordistan.  All  the  Koords  in  this 
neighbourhood  were  subject  to  his  autho- 
rity, and  he  himself  was  tributary  at  this 
moment  to  Bagdad,  though  the  place  has 
been  often  subject  to  Persia,  and  as  often 
defied  all  its  masters. 

The  people  are  represented  as  of  a  fero- 
cious and  bad  character,  as  all  who  have  to 
deal  with  tyrants,  and  who  struggle  for  li- 
berty, are  sure  to  be  considered  in  the  esti- 
mation of  those  who  think  passive  obedience 
the  highest  virtue.  To  us  they  behaved 
civilly  and  hospitably  enough,  though  it 
might  have  been  unsafe,  perhaps,  for  us  to 
have  trusted  their  virtues  too  far. 


TO    ZOHAUB    AND    SERPOOL.  87 

The  men  of  the  lower  orders  were  dressed 
as  the  peasants  already  described  ;  those  of 
the  higher  class  wore  turbans  of  deep  red, 
with  fringed  edges  striped  with  blue  ;  the 
women  went  generally  uncovered,  and  were 
of  better  features  and  complexions  than 
Arabs  usually  are.  In  the  town  we  saw 
bullocks  used  for  burden  more  frequently 
than  any  other  animals  ;  and  we  observed 
that  the  market  was  well  supplied  with  food. 
The  inhabitants  are  all  Moslems  of  the 
Soonnee  sect,  and  have  one  mosque  with  a 
large  white  dome,  but  no  minaret. 

Among  the  various  materials  which  I  had 
collected  to  direct  my  enquiries  regarding 
the  site  of  the  Palace  of  Dastagherd,  was  a 
note  furnished  me  by  Dr.  Hine  of  the  Bri- 
tish Residency  at  Bagdad,  which  said,  "About 
three  fursungs  to  the  eastward  of  Zohaub  is 
a  place  well  known  to  the  Koords  by  the 
name  of  Khallet-el-Yezdegherd.  It  is  strong- 
ly seated  on  the  mountains ;  it  presents  the 
appearance  of  considerable  ruins,  has  exten- 
sive caverns,  and  is  about  two  or  three  fur- 
sungs in  circumference.  In  the  plain,  at  the 
bottom  of  Yezdegherd,  are  pieces  of  brick 
spread  thickly  over  the  country,  giving  the 


88  FROM    HELLOWLA, 

idea  of  the  remains  of  an  extensive  city. 
These  are  called  the  ruins  of  Zarda  or  Garda, 
and  may  probably  be  those  of  Dastagherd ; 
but  no  information  is  to  be  obtained  from 
books  about  them." 

I  was  most  anxious  to  make  some  enquiries 
about  this  reported  castle  of  Yezdegherd  in 
the  neighbourhood,  and  even  to  go  there,  if 
it  lay  at  all  in  our  way  ;  and  therefore  I  re- 
quested my  Dervish  to  enquire  openly  in  one 
direction,  while  I  ventured  on  indirect  ques- 
tions in  another. 

We  learnt,  from  our  united  labours,  that 
at  the  distance  of  two  hours  and  a  half's  ride 
to  the  northward  of  Zohaub,  in  the  moun- 
tains, was  a  deserted  fort  or  castle  called 
"  Duzgurra,"  or  Duzkurra,  and  sometimes 
"  Duzkurra-el-Melik  ;"  but  no  place  of  the 
name  of  Yezdegherd  was  known  of,  any 
where  in  the  neighbourhood. 

This  castle  was  said  to  be  much  smaller 
than  the  Kassr-Shirine  at  Hellowla,  to  be 
built  of  stone  on  the  peak  of  a  steep  hill, 
and  to  be  exceedingly  difficult  of  access.  It 
was  represented  to  have  been  deserted  rather 
than  destroyed;  since  such  as  it  originally 
was  it  still  appeared  to  be,  namely,  a  mere 


TO    ZOHAUB    AND    SlilRPOOL.  89 

enclosure  of  defence,  deriving  its  strength 
from  situation  rather  than  from  construc- 
tion. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  the  castle 
stands,  there  is  said  to  be  a  small  modern 
settlement  of  a  few  dwellings  only,  but  I 
could  hear  of  no  extensive  ruins  of  a  city  as 
there  reported,  though  it  is  quite  possible 
that  such  might  exist,  and  yet  not  be  recog- 
nised by  our  informers.  All,  however,  agreed 
that  the  castle  itself  was  small  and  nearly  in 
a  perfect  state,  as  it  is  resorted  to  by  the 
Pasha  of  Zohaub  as  a  retreat  in  time  of  trou- 
ble, and  was  used  for  this  purpose  very  late- 
ly, when  Abd-el-Rakheem  was  trying  his 
fortune  against  the  late  Abdallah  Pasha  of 
Bagdad.^      It  was  particularly  insisted  on, 

*  The  ancient  inhabitants  of  these  parts  were  very  nearly  the 
same  kind  of  people  as  the  present  race.  The  Cossseans,  against 
whom  Alexander  undertook  an  expedition  from  Ecbatana,  after 
the  mourning  for  the  death  of  Hephestion,  were  a  warlike  na- 
tion, bordering  upon  the  Uxians.  "  Their  country,"  says  Ar- 
rian,  **  is  mountainous,  and  their  towns  not  fortified  ;  for  when 
they  perceive  their  land  invaded  by  a  strong  army,  they  imme- 
diately betake  themselves  to  the  tops  of  the  mountains  (either 
in  a  body  or  in  separate  parties,  as  it  happens)  where  no  enemy 
can  approach :  and  when  the  invaders  of  the  country  are  re- 
tired, they  return  to  their  habitations,  and  take  up  their  former 
trade   of  plundering  and  robbing  their   neighbours,   by  which 


90  FROM    HELLOWLA, 

that  there  was  no  river  or  branch  of  a  river 
near  it,  and  that  the  country  there  was  rocky 
and  generally  barren,  the  few  shepherds  on 
the  hills  getting  their  water  from  springs. 

In  the  name  of  this  place  it  is  easy  to  re- 
cognise the  Dascarael-Melik  of  D'Anville. 
The  name,  my  Dervish  insisted,  signifies  in 
old  Persian,  "  the  small  castle  of  the  Prince," 
from  "  Deiz,"  a  castle,  "  gurra,"  small,  and 
"  el-Melek,"  the  Prince ;  but  I  know  not 
whether  this  etymology  is  indisputable. 
There  are  many  reasons,  however,  for  not 
admitting  it  to  be  the  Dastagherd  of  anti- 
quity ; — first,  that  no  deep  river  covers  its 
approach ;  next,  that  it  is  a  barren  wild, 
and  in  no  sense  a  delicious  spot ;  and,  lastly, 
that  it  is  more  than  even  five  days'  march 

means  they  support  themselves." — Arrian,  b.  7-  c.  15,.  v.  2. 
p.  156. 

Strabo  (lib.  ii.)  describes  these  same  Cossaeans  as  a  people 
bordering  upon  Media,  and  so  intractable  a  race  that  the  Per- 
sian monarchs  were  wont  to  buy  their  peace  of  them  to  keep 
them  from  infesting  their  territories  with  their  usual  depreda- 
tions ;  **  for,"  says  he,  "  whenever  they  attempted  to  subdue 
them,  the  Cossaeans,  retiring  to  their  mountains,  easily  frus- 
trated all  their  designs.  So  that  the  Persian  kings  were  forced 
to  pay  an  annual  tribute  when  they  went  to  their  summer  pa- 
lace at  Ecbatana,  for  their  safe  passage  back  again  to  Babylon. 
—  Rooke*s  Note  to  the  passage  cited. 


TO    ZOHAUB   AND    SERPOOL.  91 

from  the  river  before  Ctesiphon.  Again,  the 
castle  is  too  small  for  that  described  as  con- 
taining the  extensive  establishment  kept  up 
at  Dastagherd,  and  too  perfect  for  the  build- 
ing which  Heraclius  is  said  to  have  totally 
destroyed  by  flames.  Besides  which,  from 
such  a  place,  if  once  invested  by  hostile 
troops,  the  possessor  could  not  make  a  pre- 
cipitate escape  ;  this  could  only  have  been 
done  in  a  plain  and  open  country  like  Khan- 
e-Keen,  where  Dastagherd  was  most  probably 
seated. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  present  town 
of  Zohaub  occupies  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Holwan,  which  was  also  one  of  the  fertile 
abodes  of  Khosrou  ;  and  this — from  its  hav- 
ing behind  it  a  steep  range  of  mountains,  and 
before  it  a  noble  plain  of  a  circular  form, 
nearly  nine  miles  in  diameter,  and  being 
hemmed  in  all  around  by  lofty  hills, — might 
have  made  an  agreeable  residence  for  the 
most  luxurious  prince. 

We  saw  nothing  like  ancient  ruins  here, 
but  our  examination  was  a  very  hasty  one. 
If,  however,  this  be  the  site  of  Holwan,  as 
its  relative  distance  from  Khan-e-Keen  and 
Kassr-Shirine  would  seem  to  imply,  D'An- 


92  FROM    HELLOWLA, 

ville  has  erred  in  placing  it  on  a  branch  of 
the  Diala,  for  no  river,  nor  even  the  arm  of 
one,  flows  through  or  near  the  town. 

The  most  contiguous  stream  is  the  Al- 
wund  itself,  at  the  other  extremity  of  the 
plain,  nearly  ten  miles  off;  and  from  this  all 
the  streams  for  watering  the  rice  grounds 
lead  up  northerly  towards  Zohaub,  the  level 
declining  that  way. 

Kinnier  has  placed  Holwan  at  a  place  call- 
ed Albania,  near  the  thirty-fifth  degree  of 
latitude  ;  but  Zohaub  agrees  more  accurately 
with  the  position  assigned  in  its  latitude, 
which  is  nearer  to  thirty-four  degrees  than 
thirty-five  degrees,  as  well  as  with  its  dis- 
tance from  Bagdad,  which  is  fully  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  miles,  or  five  days'  good 
travelling ;  whereas  Albania,  of  which  place 
I  have  not  heard,  would  be  at  least  thirty 
miles  further — by  its  position  on  the  map. 

We  remounted  at  the  khan  of  Zohaub, 
about  El-Assr,  (four  o'clock)  and  going  out 
of  the  western  gate,  came  round  the  outer 
wall,  and  went  along  the  high  road  to  Ser- 
pool.  Our  course  lay  about  south-south-east, 
keeping  close  to  the  foot  of  the  western  hills. 
In  little  more  than  two  hours  we  regained 


TO    ZOHAUB   AND    SERPOOI..  93 

the  common  road  to  Serpool,  to  the  west- 
ward of  the  spot  at  which  we  had  branched 
off  from  it,  and  then  went  for  nearly  ano- 
ther hour  over  a  succession  of  rising  hills. 

At  sunset  we  came  to  the  foot  of  a  steeper 
hill,  on  ascending  which,  and  reaching  its 
summit,  we  had  to  go  down  over  a  rocky 
slope  that  might  be  almost  called  a  precipice, 
and  would,  in  any  other  country  than  this, 
have  been  thought  impossible  for  horses  to 
traverse.  Here  we  alighted,  unloaded  our 
beasts,  and  both  we  and  they  might  be  said 
to  have  literally  slid  down  one  half  the  way, 
and  tumbled  down  the  other.  Our  guide 
insisted  on  this  being  the  common  passage, 
though  we  afterwards  learnt  that  he  had  lost 
his  road,  and  had  brought  us  by  this  unfre- 
quented way. 

It  was  quite  dark  when  we  reached  the 
khan  at  Serpool,  and  we  were  all  sufficiently 
wearied,  by  our  excursion  from  the  beaten 
track. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  THE  CHAIN  OF 
MOUNT  ZAGROS,  BY  THE  PASS  OF  THE 
ARCH. 

Sept.  11. — We  passed  a  sleepless  night, 
tormented  by  myriads  of  mosquitoes,  from 
the  rice-grounds  that  surrounded  us  ;  and 
though  I  had  covered  myself  with  a  thick 
woollen  cloak,  these  insects  got  under  it  in 
sufficient  numbers  to  sting  me  into  agony,  so 
that  I  arose  in  the  morning  with  my  hands, 
feet,  and  forehead  swoln  and  burning  with 
pain.  Our  impatience  to  get  out  of  this  place 
induced  us  to  quit  it  even  before  dayJight, 
so  that  we  saw  no  more  of  it  than  the  light 
of  the  moon  admitted.  The  village  itself  is 
small,  not  having  more  than  thirty  or  forty 
dwellings,  and  these  all  inhabited  by  the 
Koords  of  the  Plain.      The  khan  however  is 


CHAPTER  IV. 


ASCENT  TO  THE  PASS  OVER  MOUNT  ZAGROS. 


Published  by  Henry  Colburn,  8  New  Burlington  Street.    Jan.  I,  1829. 


FROM  SERPOOl.,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS.       95 

large  and  commodious,  and  was  built  by  the 
Shah  Zade  of  Persia,  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  Kerbelai,  as  they  are  called,  namely, 
those  who  go  on  pilgrimage  to  the  Tombs 
of  Imam  Ali  and  Imam  Hussein,  none .  but 
those  who  go  to  Mecca  being  dignified  with 
the  title  of  Hadjee. 

Serpool  stands  near  to  a  remarkable  pass 
between  the  two  detached  masses  of  bare 
lime-stone  rock,  rising  in  spiral  points  from 
the  Plain,  as  if  shot  up  from  the  earth  by 
the  most  violent  effort  of  nature ;  and  it  has 
running  by  it  a  stream  of  good  water,  for  the 
comfort  of  those  who  may  halt  there. 

The  level  tract  extending  from  it  to  the 
eastward  was  irrigated  by  canals  from  this 
stream,  and  covered  by  rice-grounds  in  full 
verdure.  Our  way  across  this  plain  lay 
south-east  for  about  half  an  hour  along  the 
foot  of  the  bare  and  steep  masses  of  rock 
described,  having  these  on  our  left ;  while  on 
the  opposite  side,  on  our  right,  was  a  boun- 
dary of  more  even  and  rounder  hills,  one  of 
which  was  called  "  Mamaky,"  or  "  My  Mo- 
ther," and  the  other  "  Looloo,"  both  in  the 
language  of  the  Koords. 

As  we  passed  by  the  first  opening  in  the 


96     FKOM    SEIIPOOL,   ACROSS    MOUNT    ZAGROS, 

rocks,  called  the  Boghaz,  or  Pass,  I  remarked 
a  mound  of  old  bricks,  hewn-stones,  and 
other  vestiges  of  some  former  building,  which 
had  either  been  an  old  khan  now  entirely  de- 
stroyed, or  the  site  of  some  still  older  fort 
to  guard  the  pass,  immediately  opposite  to 
which  it  stood. 

It  was  about  half  an  hour  after  passing 
this,  and  less  than  an  hour  from  the  time 
of  our  quitting  Serpool,  that  we  went 
through  a  second  Boghaz,  by  turning  to  our 
left,  and  going  north-east  for  a  few  yards, 
which  brought  us  out  into  another  cultivated 
plain. 

These  passes,  though  not  more  than  one 
hundred  feet  wide,  have  both  of  them  the 
appearance  of  being  entirely  natural.  The 
hills,  of  which  they  form  the  separation,  are 
rugged  masses  of  lime-stone,  perfectly  bare, 
and  about  five  hundred  feet  high,  rising  on 
their  more  sloping  sides  in  a  succession  of 
spiral  points,  over-lapping  each  other,  and 
showing  on  their  more  perpendicular  sides, 
lines  of  strata  almost  at  right  angles  with  the 
horizon  ;  so  that  the  whole  looked  as  if  it 
had  been  blown  up  from  the  bowels  of  the 
earth  by  some  violent  explosion. 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    AUCH.  97 

My  Dervish,  who  professed  to  be  a  great 
admirer  of  the  wonders  of  nature,  and  who 
was  struck  with  the  wild  aspect  of  these  hills, 
asked  me  whether  mountains  grew  progres- 
sively up  from  the  earth  like  grass,  but  at  an 
infinitely  slower  rate  ?  He  was  a  good  deal 
surprised  when  I  told  him  that  observations 
on  the  earth's  surface  made  by  men  the  best 
qualified  for  the  study,  tended  to  prove  that 
mountains,  and  every  other  part  of  the  mi- 
neral world  in  sight,  were  rather  in  a  state 
of  decay  than  of  growth.  He  confessed  that, 
on  reflection,  all  he  had  seen  bore  testimony 
to  such  a  doctrine ;  though  from  want  of 
considering  with  proper  attention  even  that 
which  he  had  seen,  he  entertained  an  idea 
that  the  mountains  of  Abraham's  day  were 
considerably  higher  now  than  they  were  when 
the  good  old  Patriarch  lived,  and  that  they 
would  continue  to  increase  in  altitude  until 
their  final  destruction. 

In  this  mountain-pass  was  shown  to  us  a 
small  natural  cavern,  which  a  lion  had  made 
his  den,  and  to  which  he  had  dragged  many 
an  unwary  passenger  as  his  prey,  inspiring 
such  terror  as  to  put  a  stop  to  all  journeying 
by  this  route.     It  happened  that  two  young 

VOL.  I.  H 


98    niOM    SERPOOl.,   ACROSS    MOUNT    ZAGROS, 

Koords  were  at  this  period  disputing  the 
possession  of  a  Virgin  of  the  Plain,  whom 
they  both  loved ;  but  as  they  lived  on  the 
one  side  of  the  pass,  and  the  object  of  their 
affections  on  the  other,  there  was  an  end  put 
to  their  evening  interviews,  by  the  intrusion 
of  this  destroying  lion. 

It  was  thought  too  bold  an  enterprise, 
even  for  a  lover,  to  force  this  passage  alone  ; 
but  as  the  object  to  be  attained  by  such  a  step 
was  equally  dear  to  both,  they  for  a  moment 
threw  aside  the  jealousy  of  rivals,  and  ex- 
changed reciprocal  pledges  to  stand  or  fall 
together  in  the  attempt.  Then  arming  them- 
selves, and  mounting  two  of  the  best  horses 
of  the  country,  they  vowed  in  the  presence 
of  their  friends,  entire  and  cheerful  sub- 
mission to  the  will  of  fate,  stated  their  inten- 
tion of  forcing  together  this  interrupted  pass, 
and  dragging  out  the  lion  from  his  den, — 
being  content,  if  both  should  escape  destruc- 
tion, that  the  voice  of  their  beloved  should 
decide  on  their  respective  claims,  and  if  one 
only  fell  a  victim,  that  the  other  would  have 
his  dying  consent  to  marry  her. 

They  sallied  forth,  and  amid  applauses  of 
their  comrades,  and  the  wish  of  all  that  the 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  99 

bravest  should  have  his  reward;  when  one  of 
them  was  torn  in  pieces  by  the  beast,  and  the 
other  came  off  triumphant  by  slaying  the  ani- 
mal as  he  feasted  on  his  companion's  corpse.^ 

*  The  determined  valour  of  the  people  who  formerly  in- 
habited this  country  was  observed  and  admitted  by  ancient 
writers.  Arrian,  describing  the  march  of  Alexander  against  the 
Cossseans,  who  refused  to  submit  to  his  government,  says : — 
"  This  people  are  a  very  warlike  nation,  and  inhabit  the  hilly 
and  mountainous  parts  of  Media ;  and  therefore,  confiding  in 
their  own  valour,  and  the  fastnesses  of  their  country,  would 
never  be  brought  to  admit  of  any  foreign  prince  to  reign  over 
them,  and  were  never  subdued  during  all  the  time  of  the  Per- 
sian Empire.  And  at  that  time  they  were  so  very  high,  that 
they  slighted  the  valour  of  the  Macedonians.  Alexander,  how- 
ever, conquered  them  in  the  space  of  forty  days,  and,  building 
some  towns  at  the  most  difficult  passes  through  their  country, 
he  marched  away."  See  b.  xvii.  c.  11.  and  Plin.  Nat.  Hist.  b. 
vi.  c.  27. 

The  existence  of  wild  beasts,  caverns,  and  rocky  passes  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  is  also  noticed  in  ancient  writers. — We 
learn  from  Arrian,  that  in  the  struggles  for  dominion  which' 
followed  the  death  of  Alexander,  when  Antigonus  marched  from 
Mesopotamia  into  Media,  after  Eumenes,  he  took  his  army 
through  the  mountains  inhabited  by  the  Cossseans.  They  are 
described  by  the  historian  as  having  been  a  free  people,  time 
out  of  mind,  who  inhabit  in  caves,  and  feed  upon  acorns  and 
the  salted  flesh  of  wild  beasts; — and,  contemptible  as  they 
were  held  by  Antigonus,  who  declined  purchasing  his  passage 
through  their  country,  he  found  more  difficulties  to  surmount  in 
forcing  their  passes,  and  lost  more  men  in  so  doing,  than  if 
he  had  been  opposed  by  a  numerous  and  well-disciplined  army. 
See  b.  xix.  c.  2. 

H  2 


100    FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

From  this  pass  we  went  up  easterly,  over 
a  gently  ascending  plain,  well  cultivated,  and 
thickly  strewed  with  clusters  of  Koord  ham- 
lets in  every  part ;  while  on  the  hills  before 
us  were  wood  and  water,  the  former  supply- 
ing an  abundance  of  fuel,  and  the  latter  de- 
scending in  small  rivulets  to  fertilize  the  land. 

In  about  an  hour  and  half  we  began  to 
ascend  the  steeper  side  of  the  mountain,  hav- 
ing the  stream  of  the  Alwund  close  on  our 
right ;  and  about  half-way  up  we  came  to  its 
source,  which  issued  out  from  a  narrow  cleft 
in  the  side  of  the  steep  rock,  and  produced 
at  once  a  full  stream  of  clear  and  excellent 
water.  As  the  mountain  became  steeper,  it 
was  necessary  to  alight,  and  walk  up  with 
our  horses.  The  scenery  was  fine,  without 
being  either  romantically  grand  or  magni- 
ficent ;  the  mountain  was  of  lime-stone,  of 
different  qualities,  and  presented  many  cliffs 
near  its  summit,  as  well  as  steep  slopes  lower 
down,  the  whole  of  which  was  well  wooded 
with  small  trees  of  dark  green  leaves  now  in 
full  foliage,  and  the  valleys  were  abundantly 
verdant.^     In  some  of  the  views  which  pre- 

*  This  corresponds  with  the  ancient  descriptions  of  this  dis- 
trict.    Among  others,   Diodorus  says :  "  The  country,  on  the 


BY   THE    PASS    OF    THE   AUCH.  101 

sented  themselves  as  we  wound  up  the 
mountain  by  a  serpentine  path,  I  observed 
several  that  reminded  me  of  similar  ones  in 
Lebanon,  particularly  near  the  cedars,  and 
the  valley  of  Hazbeheah,  on  the  way  from 
Tripoly  to  Balbeck. 

It  was  about  an  hour  after  our  com- 
mencing the  steep  ascent,  that  we  came  to  a 
Roman  ruin,  called  the  Tank,  or  Arch,  as 
the  building  at  Ctesiphon  is  called  Tank 
Kesra,  or  the  Arch  of  Kesra.  This  ruin,  if 
it  may  so  be  considered,  for  it  is  still  in 
nearly  a  perfect  state,  represents  an  arched 
recess,  the  back  of  which  is  formed  by  the 
rock  of  the  mountain  planed  away  for  that 
purpose,  and  the  sides  and  roof  are  built  of 
masonry.  The  recess  appeared  to  be  about 
twenty  feet  in  height,  twelve  in  breadth,  and 
eight  in  depth  inside.     The  form  of  the  arch 

first  entrance  into  Persia  from  the  west,  and  as  far  as  the  Lad- 
ders, as  they  are  called,  (i.  e.  the  Passes  of  Mount  Zagros,)  is 
flat  and  low,  exceedingly  hot,  and  barren  of  provision  ;  but  the 
rest  is  higher,  of  a  wholesome  air,  and  very  fruitful.  In  this 
part  there  are  many  shady  valleys,  a  variety  of  pleasant  gar- 
dens, natural  walks  bounded  on  either  side  with  all  sorts  of 
trees,  and  watered  with  refreshing  springs;  so  that  those  who 
journey  this  way,  frequently  halt  here  and  regale  themselves  ii\ 
these  pleasant  places  with  great  delight." — Diodorus  Siculus,  b, 
xix.  c.  2. 


102    FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

is  Roman  ;  it  is  well  constructed,  and  not  a 
stone  has  apparently  been  moved  from  its 
original  bearing,  though  their  outer  surfaces 
are  corroded  by  time  and  the  atmosphere  of 
an  elevated  region.  The  sides  are  formed  of 
large  blocks  of  smoothly  hewn  stone,  closely 
united  without  cement,  and  even  polished  on 
the  outer  surface.  The  front  presents  a 
moulding  on  the  arch,  which  is  itself  sup- 
ported by  pilasters  of  no  determined  order, 
— having  the  plain  lines  of  the  Doric,  with  a 
sort  of  chain  band  or  fillet  at  the  setting  on 
of  the  capital  on  the  shaft,  but  all  the  rest  is 
entirely  devoid  of  ornament. 

By  the  side  of  this  arched  recess,  a  large 
space  of  the  rock  had  been  planed  away  on 
the  face  of  the  mountain,  probably  for  an 
inscription.  It  was  of  an  oblong  form,  and 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  length,  by  six 
to  eight  feet  in  height.  It  was  just  of  the 
same  size  and  form,  and  placed  in  the  same 
relative  situation  on  the  side  of  the  rock, 
overlooking  the  highway,  as  the  tablet  on 
the  Roman  road  at  the  Nahr-el-Kelb,  or  river 
Lycus,  in  Syria,  containing  a  Latin  inscrip- 
tion in  "honour  of  the  individual  who  pro- 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  103 

jected  and  executed  the  road  over  the  pro-, 
montory  there.  This  was,  no  doubt,  intended 
for  a  similar  purpose  here,  but  I  could  dis- 
cover no  traces  of  any  inscription  now  visible  ; 
and  from  the  surface  of  the  tablet  being 
itself  still  smooth,  I  should  conceive  that  it 
had  never  been  engraved  on,  rather  than 
that  it  had  been  once  written  and  since 
obliterated. 

To  what  period  these  works  may  be  as- 
signed, an  examination  of  the  early  histories 
of  expeditions  into  these  countries  will  best 
determine.  This  range  of  mountains  is  the 
Zagros  of  antiquity,  which  separated  Persia 
from  Assyria ;  and  as  the  pass  here  is  now 
the  only  one  practised  in  this  part  of  the 
chain,  and  contains  the  vestiges  of  a  once 
noble  road,  it  is  not  improbable  but  that  it 
might  have  been  the  one  marched  over  by 
Alexander  on  his  way  from  Ecbatana  to 
Babylon ;  and  from  the  known  fondness  of 
that  conqueror  for  great  public  works,  of 
which  his  footsteps  have  left  as  many  traces 
as  those  of  other  great  men  do  of  devastation, 
it  is  likely  enough  that  he  either  made  the 
road    himself,  or  considerably  improved  it, 


104     FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

and  that  the  arch  and  tablet  here  were  in- 
tended to  commemorate  his  munificence.* 

There  were  several  passes  in  Mount 
Zagros,  noted  by  the  ancients  as  communi- 
cating between  Babylon,  Susa,  and  Ecbatana. 
Strabo  enumerates  three,  the  first  of  which 
passed  by  Messabatenus,f  and  is  thought  to 

*  Alexander,  after  passing  the  Tigris,  on  his  march  towards 
the  country  of  the  Uxians,  was  obstructed  by  the  difficulty  of 
the  passes,  which  were  all  guarded  by  Madates,  a  Persian  ge- 
neral related  to  Darius,  and  commanding  a  strong  and  well- 
disciplined  army.  He  was  conducted  by  an  inhabitant  of  the 
country,  through  such  a  strait  difficult  pathway  over  these 
mountains,  as  that,  with  a  very  little  trouble,  they  soon  found 
themselves  standing  over  the  heads  of  those  who  guarded  the 
passes  below.  The  guards,  seeing  this,  soon  fled ;  and  as  the 
Macedonians  had  now  surmounted  the  chief  difficulty  of  their 
march,  and  were  in  complete  possession  of  the  pass,  the  cities 
of  the  Uxians  soon  submitted  to  their  power.  From  hence,  it 
is  said,  the  King  decamped  and  marched  towards  Persia,  and 
the  fifth  day  came  to  a  place  called  the  Susian  Rocks,  which 
was  another  pass,  and  guarded  also  by  a  large  Persian  force. 
— Arriajis  Expedition  of  Alexander,  b.  xvii.  c.  7.  p.  550. 

Both  these  passes  were,  unquestionably,  through  the  range 
of  hills  dividing  Persia  from  the  Turkish  Empire  and  from 
Khusistan,  and  known  among  the  ancients  as  Mount  Zagros. 
The  first  of  them  may  very  probably  be  the  present  one  of  the 
Xauk,  where  the  arch  and  ancient  road  remain  ;  and  the  last, 
a  pass  further  to  the  southward,  in  a  line  between  this  place 
and  Persepolis,  and  nearly  abreast  of  Susa,  as  its  name  would 
suggest. 

t  Strabo,  lib.  xvi.  p.  744. 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  105 

be  the  royal  road  mentioned  by  Diodorus 
Siculus,  from  Susa  to  Ecbatana  ;^  the  second 
went  from  Gabiene  to  Susa,f  and  was  no 
doubt  that  which  traversed  the  country  of 
the  Cosseans;:]:  and  the  third  went  directly 
from  Media  into  Persia.  All  of  these,  how- 
ever, must  have  been  to  the  southward  of 
our  place  of  crossing  the  chain,  and  this 
corresponded  more  accurately  with  the  situa- 
tion of  the  Pylae  Zagriensis,  or  Median  Pylae, 
properly  so  called,  of  which  the  height  was 
estimated  by  Polybius  to  be  about  a  hundred 
stadia.  §  The  details  of  Alexander's  return 
from  Ecbatana  to  Babylon  are  not  suffi- 
ciently minute  to  decide  on  the  precise  route 
which  he  followed;  but  as  this  last  pass  lies 
in  the  shortest  and  most  direct  way,  there  is 
sufficient  ground  to  infer  that  it  was  by  this 
he  returned  after  his  expedition  against  the 
Cosseans  of  the  mountains,  during  the  win- 
ter, with  Ptolemy,  his  general,  as  related  at 
length  by  Arrian.|| 

From    the   Tauk    we    continued    still    to 

*  Diodorus  Siculus,  lib.  xix.  c.  19.  f  Ibid. 

X  Ibid,  and  Arrian's  Expedition,  b.  vii.  c.  15. 

§  Polybius  Hist.  lib.  v. 

11  Arrian's  Expedition  of  Alexander,  b.  vii.  c.  15. 


106    FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

ascend  by  a  winding  path,  with  a  steep  valley 
beneath  us,  and  an  abundance  of  trees  and 
several  fine  springs  around  us  in  different 
stages  of  our  way,  when,  in  about  half  an 
hour  more,  we  gained  the  summit,  to  enjoy 
repose  for  a  moment  from  the  toil  of  our 
ascent,  to  feast  on  an  extensive  prospect,  and 
to  breathe  a  delicious  air.  The  summit  of 
the  mountain  is  about  three  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  Plain  of  Bagdad,  and 
two  thousand  above  the  level  of  the  Plain 
of  Bagilan,  or  Ghilan,  on  which  its  base 
reposes,  there  being  at  least  one  thousand 
feet  in  progressive  ascent  from  the  first  of 
these  levels  to  the  last.  As  Bagdad,  how- 
ever, is  elevated  from  the  sea  by  so  much 
only  as  is  necessary  for  the  descent  of  the 
waters  of  the  Tigris  into  the  Persian  Gulf, 
it  would  not  require  much  to  be  added  to 
complete  the  height  of  this  part  of  Zagros 
from  the  level  of  the  ocean ;  so  that  three 
thousand  feet  may  be  considered  as  very  near 
its  total  elevation  from  the  sea. 

On  that  part  of  the  summit  over  which  we 
passed,  the  snow  lies  for  three  full  months  in 
the  winter,  so  as  to  render  it  impassable  for 
caravans,  though  single  passengers  and  mes- 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  107 

sengers  traverse  it  at  all  seasons.  There  are 
other  parts  of  the  chain,  to  the  north-west 
of  this,  which  are  considerably  higher,  par- 
ticularly those  seen  from  Altoon  Kupry, 
which  were  covered  with  snow  in  the  month 
of  July,  when  I  passed  in  sight  of  them ; 
but  such  parts  of  the  range  as  we  could  see 
from  hence  to  the  south-east,  were  but  very 
little  higher  than  this  on  which  we  stood.^ 

Our  descent  from  the  summit  of  Mount 
Zagros  was  more  easy  than  our  ascent  had 
been,  this  lying  over  round  woody  hills,  with 
grass  turf  and  weeds  on  the  soil ;  and  in  about 
an  hour  after  leaving  the  pass  we  came  to 
the  ruins  of  an  old  khan,  with  a  new  one 
near  it,  now  building,  and  not  yet  half  finish- 
ed. We  found,  however,  sufficient  shelter 
for  our  small  party,  and  consequently  alighted 
there. 

This  is  called  the  Khan-el-Tauk,  having 
no  town  near  it  to  give  it  another  name,  and 
the  present  new  one  is  the  work  of  the  Shah 

*  There  was  a  Coele  Persis  (Koile  Persis^)  as  well  as  Coele- 
Syria,  both  expressing  a  hollow  country,  as  a  Syria  or  Persia 
between  the  mountains.  The  province  of  Media  is  styled  Koo- 
estan  by  the  Persians,  and  Al  Jebal  by  the  Arabs :  both  ex- 
press a  region  of  mountains,  corresponding  to  the  Zagros  of  the 
Greeks. 


108    FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

Zade,  the  King  of  Persia's  son,  the  existing 
lord  of  the  district  of  Kermanshah.  Our 
whole  road  from  Serpool,  thus  far,  had  oc- 
cupied nearly  five  hours,  and  was  mostly  in 
an  easterly  direction ;  but  from  the  nature 
of  our  road,  the  distance,  in  a  straight  line, 
could  not  have  been  more  than  seven  or 
eight  miles. 

It  had  been  perfectly  calm  throughout  the 
day,  and  hot  in  the  plains  on  the  west  of  the 
pass,  even  at  sun-rise :  but  on  the  summit  of 
the  mountain  we  enjoyed  an  atmosphere  that 
was  truly  delicious,  cool,  yet  soft,  refreshing, 
and  invigorating,  without  being  at  all  sharp 
or  biting, — such  an  air,  indeed,  as  I  had  not 
breathed  since  leaving  the  delightful  spring 
months  on  the  mountains  of  Jerusalem. 

We  had  now  entered  the  territory  of  Per- 
sia :  the  Pass  of  Zagros,  or  the  Tauk,  being 
the  frontier  between  it  and  Turkey.  There 
are  Koords  in  the  plains  on  each  side  of  this 
range  of  mountains — those  on  the  west  being 
subject  to  the  Pasha  of  Zohaub,  who  is  tri- 
butary to  Bagdad  ;  and  those  on  the  east  to 
the  Shah  Zade  of  Kermanshah  himself,  with- 
out the  intervention  of  a  Pasha  of  their  own. 

I  had  looked  about  with  more  than  usual 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  109 

care  for  the  vestiges  of  some  distinct  race 
of  people  here,  the  descendants  of  the  old 
Boeotians,  who  were  carried  away  by  Xerxes, 
and  placed  near  to  this  Pass  of  Zagros  ;^  but 
I  had  as  yet  seen  none  that  I  should  have 
taken  for  people  of  such  an  origin.  The 
Arabs  were  too  familiar  to  me  to  be  mis- 
taken wherever  I  saw  them,  even  among  a 
crowd  of  strangers  ;  the  Koords  also  are  a 
very  marked  race,  and  appear  from  their 
physiognomy  to  be  of  a  Tartar  origin  ;  while 
the  Persians  are,  if  possible,  a  still  more  dis- 
tinct family  than  either. 

But,  in  the  course  of  my  enquiries,  I  learn- 
ed that  there  were  formerly  in  these  moun- 

*  Freinshemius,  in  his  Supplement  to  Quintus,  speaks  of  a 
city  called  Celonse,  in  the  district  of  Ghilan,  inhabited  by  cer- 
tain Boeotians  whom  Xerxes  had  transported  into  the  East,  and 
who  retained  strong  traces  of  their  origin  in  their  language, 
which  was  composed  mostly  of  Greek  words,  though  they  spoke 
also  the  language  of  the  country  in  which  they  dwelt  in  their 
commerce  with  the  nations  of  it. — Vol.  ii.  p.  545. 

Most  other  authors  give  this  name  Celonse,  as  the  name  of  a 
country,  or  district. 

**  Tridui  deinde  itinere  emenso  Celonas  perventum  est :  op- 
pidum  hoc  tenent  Boeotia  profecti,  quos  Xerxes  sedibus  suis 
excitos  in  Orientem  transtulit,  servabantque  argumentum  origi- 
nis  peculiar!  ex  Greecis  plerumque  vocibus  constante,  ceterum 
ob  commerciorum  necessitatem  finitimorum  Barbarorum  lingua 
utebantur." 


110     FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

tains  a  people  called  Nessereah,  who,  like 
those  of  the  same  name  in  Syria,  paid  divine 
honours  to  the  pudenda  mulieb7Hs,  and  held 
an  annual  feast  not  unlike  the  ancient  mys- 
teries of  Venus.  They  had  however  made 
gradual  advances  towards  Mohammedanism, 
though  they  still  retained  this  strange  mix- 
ture of  pagan  rites  among  themselves ;  and 
while  they  professed,  in  the  presence  of  Mos- 
lems, to  read  the  Koran,  and  be  followers  of 
the  Prophet,  they  were  scarcely  ever  seen  to 
pray,  were  known  openly  to  make,  sell,  and 
drink  wine,  to  commit  incest  under  the  guise 
of  religion,  and  to  have  secret  laws  and  opi- 
nions which  it  would  be  death  to  any  of 
them  to  divulge.  They  had  lived  long  in 
the  mountains  in  this  state  of  independence, 
until  a  series  of  persecutions  and  gradual 
emigration  had  brought  them  to  settle  in  the 
villages  around. 

The  greater  part  of  these  people  are  now  at 
Kerrund,  where  they  form  the  majority  of 
the  population,  and  are  called  both  Messe- 
reahs  and  Ali-UUaheeahs,  from  some  pecu- 
liar notions  which  they  have  of  an  incarna- 
tion of  God  in  the  person  of  Ali.  They  are, 
however,  regarded  by  all  as  pagans,  and  a 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  Ill 

hundred  tales  are  told  to  support  this  opi- 
nion. At  their  annual  feast  it  is  said  that 
they  all  meet  in  a  room,  where,  after  some 
ceremonies  performed  by  their  chief,  the 
lights  are  put  out,  and  every  female  takes 
off  her  drawers  and  hangs  them  on  a  place  in 
the  wall.  The  men  then  enter,  and  each 
takes  down  a  pair  of  these  drawers,  still  in 
the  dark,  when,  the  light  being  renewed,  the 
owner  of  each  garment  is  sought  out,  and 
she  becomes  the  partner  of  the  man  who  pos- 
sesses it  for  the  night,  or,  as  some  say,  his 
wife  for  the  whole  ensuing  year. 

The  opinions  and  practices  of  the  Nesse- 
reah  near  Aleppo,  are  kept  equally  secret ; 
and  the  Syrian  custom  of  the  hosts  giving 
their  wives  and  daughters  to  the  enjoyment 
of  strangers  who  sojourn  among  them  at 
their  town  of  Martowan,  is  known  to  all  who 
have  passed  that  way.  M.  Volney,  the  first, 
I  believe,  who  publicly  noticed  this  custom, 
considers  it  as  the  remains  of  the  worship  of 
Venus;  and  I  have  little  doubt  but  that  the 
practices  of  the  people  here  spring  from  a 
similar  origin,  though  they  themselves  are 
too  ignorant  of  their  own  history  to  be  con- 
scious of  it,  as  well  as  too  reserved  to  say 


112     FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

what  they  think.  It  is  clear,  however,  that 
no  part  of  Mohammedanism  can  have  led  to 
such  rites,  since  it  is  as  free  from  all  mys- 
teries of  that  nature  as  Christianity  itself.^ 

As  the  original  religion  of  this  sect  has 
been  thus  so  mixed  with  later  ones  as  now 
scarcely  to  be  identified,  so  their  race  has 
lost  all  marks  of  primitive  distinction  by 
their  having  learned  the  language  and  the 
manners  of  the  people  by  whom  they  were 
surrounded — those  in  Syria  speaking  only 
Arabic,  and  these  only  Persian  and  Koor- 
dish.  The  former,  however,  are  said  to  in- 
termarry only  among  themselves,  which  they 
can  well  do,  from  being  a  numerous  people ; 
but  here,  where  they  are  few,  it  would  be 
more  difficult ;  intermarriages  with  Koords 
and  Persians  therefore  continually  happen, 
which  take  place  the  more  easily,  as  from 
their  outward  profession  there  is  scarcely  any 

*  A  colony  of  the  sect  of  Ismael,  and  followers  of  Hassn 
Subah,  appear  to  have  settled  in  the  mountains  between  Tor- 
tosa  and  Tripoli,  in  Syria,  as  well  as  here  on  Mount  Zagros. 
The  tribe  of  Kaindu  among  the  Tartars  practised  the  custom  of 
lending  their  wives  to  their  friends,  as  is  done  by  the  Nesse- 
reeah  and  Ismaelies. — De  la  Croix  Hist,  of  Chetigiz  Kha7i,  p.  86. 
—412. 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  113 

distinguishing  these  pagans  from  the  purer 
disciples  of  Islam. 

After  all  that  has  been  said,  it  may  be 
judged  how  far  these  people  are  likely  to  be 
the  remains  of  the  Greeks  before  spoken  of. 
Rennel,  in  his  Illustrations  of  the  Geography 
of  Herodotus,  says :  "  The  Boeotians,  (The- 
bans)  carried  away  by  Xerxes,  (Polymnia, 
233,)  were  placed  in  the  country  of  Assyria, 
at  Celonae,  now  Ghilan,  near  the  ascent  of 
the  Pass  of  Mount  Zagros.  This  is  collected 
from  Diodorus  Siculus,  lib.  xvii.  cap.  11. 
Alexander  saw  them  at  Celonae,  on  his  way 
from  Susa  and  Sittacene  to  Ecbatana,  after 
his  return  from  India.  Diodorus  says,  that 
they  had  not  altogether  forgot  their  laws, 
their  customs,  or  their  language,  although 
they  had  learned  those  of  the  natives  by  in- 
termarrying. This  was  no  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  from  the  time  of 
their  removal  from  Greece.^ 

It  has  been  before  remarked  that  Ghilan 
is  still  the  name  of  a  district,  and  not  of  a 
town ;  and  this,  district,  commencing  here  at 

*  Rennel's  Illustrations  of  Herodotus,  p.  268. 
VOL.  I.  I 


114     FRQM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

Bagilan,  goes  all  the  way  down  to  the  ancient 
Susiana,  to  the  southward.  Polybius  speaks 
of  the  district  of  Chalonites  at  the  ascent  of 
Zagros,  which  is  no  doubt  the  same  with 
Ghilan  and  Celonae.^ 

Sept.  12th. — We  passed  an  agreeable  night 
at  the  Khan-el-Tauk,  though  we  felt  keenly 
the  cold  of  the  open  air :  but  this  change, 
after  the  intense  heat  of  Bagdad,  was  de- 
lightful. We  mounted  our  horses  again  at 
day-break,  and  enjoyed  a  still  higher  plea- 
sure in  the  fresh  breeze  of  the  morning. 
The  situation  of  the  khan  in  a  hollow  val- 
ley, surrounded  on  all  sides  by  steep  rocky 
mountains  and  smaller  wooded  hills,  offered 
us  a  magnificent  sun-rise  view. 

We  went  hence,  for  nearly  two  hours,  in 
an  east-south-east  direction,  through  fine 
mountain  scenery,  and  woods  hemmed  in  by 
steep  rocks  on  all  sides.  The  trees  were  of 
many  kinds,  and  all  in  full  foliage,  but  the 
most  numerous  were  those  called  in  Persian 
Belloot  and  Sameel.  Springs  of  water  were 
also  abundant,  and  on  the  banks  through 
which  they  ran,  we  saw  not  less  than  a  hun- 

*  Polybius  Hist.  lib.  v.  c.  5. 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  115 

dred  of  the  large  and  beautiful  mountain 
partridges  of  the  country.  Many  syrens,  a 
solitary  magpie,  and  some  crested  hoopoes 
were  among  the  number  of  the  rest,  but 
there  was  neither  thrush  nor  lark  to  cheer 
us  with  their  niorning  songs. 

After  clearing  the  mountains,  we  came  out 
on  a  fine  plain  covered  with  Koord  huts  and 
villages,  the  land  being  well  cultivated  in 
some  parts,  and  having  good  pasture  in 
others.  This  plain  I  should  conceive  to  be 
two  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  Bagdad, 
as  from  the  summit  of  the  mountain  to  this 
its  eastern  base,  we  had  not  come  down  more 
than  one  thousand  feet  in  a  perpendicular 
line.  The  climate  here  was  like  that  of  an 
English  summer's  morning,  and  we  proceed- 
ed with  such  light  hearts,  that  I  caught  my- 
self singing  a  song  of  home,  a  most  unseemly 
occupation  for  a  bearded  pilgrim,  and  one  for 
which  my  Dervish  gave  me  a  timely  check, 
by  exclaiming,  "Ya  Hadjee!  Selah  al  Nebbe!" 
"O  pilgrim,  pray  to  the  Prophet!"  not  mean- 
ing that  I  should  actually  alight  and  per- 
form my  devotions  in  earnest,  but  merely 
as  a  preparatory  summons  of  my  attention 
to  some  questions  with  which  he  very  judi- 

I  2 


116     FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

ciously  thought  it  necessary  to  interrupt 
my  dangerous  dream. 

In  about  an  hour  after  our  entering  on 
the  plain,  we  passed  a  small  village,  seated 
under  the  hills  on  our  left,  called  Khallet 
Zenjey,  with  many  poplar  trees,  and  a  fine 
stream  of  water  descending  from  it  into  the 
plain,  but  no  castle  near  it,  as  its  name  would 
seem  to  imply. 

In  another  hour,  having  gone  south-east 
for  two  hours  over  the  plain,  and  been  in 
all  about  four  hours  and  a  half  from  the 
Khan-el-Tauk,  we  entered  a  fine  large  cara- 
vanserai, a  little  below  the  town  of  Kerrund, 
and  alighted  there  before  noon. 

When  the  necessary  care  had  been  taken 
of  our  horses,  a  duty  which  fell  always  to  my 
own  lot  to  execute  rather  than  to  super- 
intend, we  left  the  khan  and  walked  up  to 
the  town,  which  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
to  the  northward  of  the  high-way.  Our 
road  led  through  narrow  stone-hedged  lanes, 
on  each  side  of  which  were  large  vineyards 
and  gardens,  with  an  abundance  of  poplar 
trees  planted  in  rows.  The  vines  were  yet 
bending  beneath  the  weight  of  their  clus- 
ters, and  pomegranates  studded  other  trees 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    AUCH.  117 

in  full  ripeness.  The  town  itself  too,  as  we 
drew  nearer  to  it,  presented  a  picture  of 
more  comfort  and  industry  combined,  than 
I  had  yet  seen  in  so  small  a  place,  since 
leaving  Syria.  It  resembled,  both  in  its  si- 
tuation and  general  aspect,  many  of  the 
Druse  villages  in  Lebanon,  and  gave  me  a 
favourable  impression  of  the  character  of 
those  who  peopled  it. 

The  town  consists  of  two  portions  facing 
each  other  on  opposite  sides  of  a  clear  stream 
running  down  between  them.    Each  of  these 
portions  stands  on  so  steep  a  slope  of  ground, 
that  the   houses  rise  in    stages  above  each 
other ;  and  every  street,  which  consists  only 
of  one  side  towards  the  hill,  has  the  terraces 
of  the  houses  below  on  a  level  with  its  edge 
on    the    other    side.      Both    these    portions 
taken  collectively,  are  seated  also  at  the  foot 
of  a  bare   lime-stone  range  of  rock,  which 
rises  up  almost  perpendicularly  behind  the 
town  to   the  north,    in  spiral  points,    over- 
lapping each  other  like  so  many  separate  beds 
of  columns  tapered  away  at  the  upper  parts 
and  uniting  in  one  solid  mass  below. 

Before  the  town  to  the  south,  and  extend- 
ing for  several  miles  south-east  and  north- 


118    FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

west,  is  a  fine  plain,  of  the  highest  fertility, 
watered  by  the  stream  which  issues  from  a 
cleft  in  the  rock  behind  the  town  itself,  so 
that  its  situation  is  as  favourable  for  agri- 
cultural industry  as  could  be  desired.  The 
number  of  dwellings  may  amount  to  five  or 
six  hundred,  and  of  inhabitants  to  nearly 
two  thousand,  the  greater  part  of  them  being 
Nessereah,  and  the  remainder  Mohammedans 
of  the  Sheeah  sect. 

The  occupations  of  both  are  chiefly  agri- 
cultural; but  by  the  former  of  these  are 
manufactured  muskets  and  pistols,  of  a  very 
superior  quality,  to  the  value  of  a  thousand 
piastres,  or  50/.  sterling,  per  pair. 

My  Dervish  had  halted  a  week  here,  on 
his  way  from  Kermanshah  to  Bagdad,  about 
a  year  since,  for  the  sake  of  a  kind  and  pretty 
damsel  of  this  Aphrodisian  race,  who  listened 
to  his  vows.  During  the  whole  of  our  way 
he  had  praised  the  beauty  and  the  compas- 
sionate disposition  of  this  fair  one,  and  pro- 
mised me  a  thousand  times,  on  his  eye  and 
his  head,  that  I  should  see  her  for  myself, 
and  drink  out  of  the  same  cup  as  he  had 
done,  if  I  desired  it.  When  we  left  the 
khan,  therefore,  I  had  indulged  the  hope  of 


BY   THE    PASS   OF    THE    ARCH.  lI9 

such  an  interview,  and  even  expected,  from 
the  reputed  frankness  of  the  fair  one's  heart, 
and  her  hospitality  to  strangers,  to  learn 
some  curious  particulars  regarding  the  race 
to  which  she  belonged  ;  but  we  were  both 
sadly  disappointed,  the  Dervish  in  his  an- 
ticipations of  pleasure,  and  I  in  my  hopes 
of  information,  when  we  learnt  that,  only 
two  months  since,  a  young  Koord  peasant 
had  married  her,  and  taken  her  away  to  his 
hamlet,  where  now,  perhaps,  she  discreetly 
kept  all  the  secrets  we  should  have  else 
attempted  to  draw  from  her. 

We  returned  to  the  khan  with  heavy  steps, 
and  met  at  the  door  of  it  a  small  caravan, 
conveying  a  consignment  of  dead  bodies  from 
Kermanshah.  This  caravan  was  composed 
wholly  of  mules,  each  laden  with  two  corpses, 
one  on  each  side,  and  a  takhteravan,  or  lit- 
ter, borne  also  by  mules,  though  it  contained 
only  one  body,  which  was  that  of  a  person  of 
some  distinction.  These  were  all  packed  in 
long  narrow  cases  or  coffins,  and  secured  with 
matting  and  cordage,  like  bales  of  cotton. 
They  were  the  bodies  of  devout  dead,  from 
different  parts  of  Persia — two  from  Ispa- 
haun,   and   one   from '  Shirauz,  which   were 


120    FROM  SETIPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

being  conveyed  for  interment  to  the  grounds 
of  Imaum  Hussein,  at  Kerbela.  Besides  the 
charge  of  carriage,  which  is  double  that  of 
any  other  commodity  of  equal  weight,  large 
sums,  from  two  to  five  thousand  piastres,  are 
paid  to  the  Mosque  there,  for  a  sufficient 
space  of  ground  to  receive  the  body,  and 
other  presents  must  be  made  to  the  tomb  of 
the  Imaum  himself;  so  that  this  is  a  dis- 
tinction which  the  comparatively  rich  only 
can  enjoy. 

When  the  animals  entered  the  khan,  the 
bodies  laden  on  the  mules  were  cast  off, 
without  ceremony,  and  placed  at  random  in 
different  parts  of  the  courtyard,  the  one  in 
the  litter  alone  being  paid  any  attention  to ; 
so  that,  as  they  were  neither  marked  nor 
numbered,  they  were  probably  the  bodies  of 
individuals  who  had  been  just  able  to  pay 
the  lowest  price  of  admission  into  this  sacred 
ground,  and  would  be  laid  there  without 
inscriptive  stones,  or  other  funeral  monu- 
ment ;  for  it  could  scarcely  happen,  from 
the  way  in  which  they  were  lying  about,  that 
they  should  not  be  mixed  and  confounded 
one  with  another. 

The  presence  of  these  dead  bodies  in  the 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  121 

khan  made  no  impression  on  the  living  who 
were  there,  as  the  mule-drivers  stretched 
themselves  along  by  the  side  of  them  at 
night,  with  an  indifference  that  argued  their 
being  long  familiarized  with  such  cargoes. 
This  was  a  scene  which  I  could  imagine 
to  have  been  frequent  enough  in  ancient 
Egypt,  where  all  the  population,  who  could 
afford  it,  were  embalmed  in  state,  and  others, 
at  the  charge  of  the  nation,  their  mummies 
being  transported  from  place  to  place,  ac- 
cording to  their  peculiar  temple  of  worship, 
or  their  favourite  place  of  burial. 

On  enquiry  of  some  of  the  muleteers,  who 
had  come  up  from  Mendeli  to  this  place 
with  salt,  we  learnt  that  it  was  five  days' 
journey  from  hence,  in  nearly  a  southern 
direction,  and  that  there  was  a  river  flowing 
down  by  it  from  the  northward. 

Sept.  13. — We  quitted  the  khan  of  Ker- 
rund  at  sun-rise,  and  going  south-east 
through  the  plain  before  it,  we  came,  in 
half  an  hour,  to  a  well,  with  a  deep  spring 
of  fine  water,  called  in  Koordish,  Ain-Cher- 
mook,  or  the  White  Fountain.  We  met 
here  some  female  peasants,  who  drew  water 
for  our  horses  with  great  readiness ;  and  as 


122    FROM  SERPPOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

no  males  of  their  tribe  were  near,  they 
laughed  and  jested  with  great  freedom. 
None  of  them  were  veiled,  and  few,  in- 
deed, had  their  bodies  completely  covered. 
Among  them  were  some  fine  forms,  but  their 
features  were  coarse,  and  their  complexions 
browned  by  the  sun ;  though  their  long 
tresses  of  black  glossy  hair,  and  brilliant 
eyes  of  the  deepest  jet,  gave  an  expression 
of  great  vivacity  to  their  whole  appearance. 
The  village  in  which  they  lived  was  at  the 
foot  of  the  southern  hill,  and  was  called  the 
White  Village,  giving  its  name  to  the  foun- 
tain at  which  we  drank. 

In  an  hour  from  hence  we  entered  a  nar- 
row valley,  of  a  winding  form,  called,  in 
Koordish,  Teng-e-Rush,  or  the  Black  Pass, 
from  its  being  reputed  to  be  the  scene  of 
dark  and  treacherous  deeds.  We  went 
through  it,  however,  in  safety,  and  without 
seeing  a  living  being,  though  a  vigilant  look- 
out was  extended  on  all  sides.  After  as- 
cending through  this,  we  came  upon  gentle 
hills  and  wavy  lawns,  spread  over  with  trees 
in  full  green  foliage,  which,  contrasted  with 
the  yellow  stubble  of  the  recently  reaped 
corn,  produced  a  most  agreeable  effect.     The 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  123 

whole  of  the  scenery  for  the  next  two  hours, 
still  in  a  south-east  direction,  was  indeed  as 
piuch  like  that  of  a  fine  English  park  as 
could  be  imagined,  and  resembled  very 
strongly  the  beautiful  grounds  between  Khal- 
let-el-Hhussan  and  Tartoose,  in  Syria. 

As  we  drew  towards  the  termination  of 
our  day's  journey,  the  eminences  became 
more  abrupt,  rocky,  and  destitute  of  wood, 
till  at  the  end  of  it  we  came  out  on  another 
fine  plain,  stretching  from  north-west  to 
south-east  for  nine  or  ten  miles,  and  being 
from  four  to  five  miles  wide,  bordered  by  a 
ridge  of  high  hills  on  each  side.  In  our 
way  through  this,  on  the  same  course,  we 
passed  two  Koord  villages  and  several  small 
settlements  of  reed  huts ;  and  in  two  hours 
from  our  first  entering  on  it  we  alighted  at 
the  caravansera  of  Harounabad. 

The  situation  of  this  town,  at  the  foot  of  a 
line  of  hills,  with  a  stream  of  water  near  it, 
and  a  wide  plain  extending  along  its  front  is 
very  similar  to  that  of  Kerrund.  Its  style 
of  building  is  also  the  same,  but  it  has  not 
the  fine  vineyards  and  gardens  of  that  place, 
there  being  no  Nessereah  here  to  consume 
the  wine.      The  population  of  this  village 


124    FEOM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

scarcely  exceeds  a  thousand,  and  these  are 
all  Persians  and  Koords  of  the  Sheeah  sect. 
The  name  of  this  place  signifies  "  built  or 
peopled  by  Haroun,"  but  whether  by  the 
celebrated  Haroun-el-Raschid,  or  any  other 
of  that  name,  is  not  known.  The  birth- 
place of  this  Caliph  of  Bagdad  was  the  city 
of  Rey,  the  Rhages  of  the  Scriptures,  whose 
ruins  are  near  to  the  present  Teheran,  and 
this  continued  always  to  be  one  of  the  chief 
seats  of  his  magnificence,  containing  in  its 
splendour,  according  to  Oriental  Historians, 
three  millions  of  inhabitants.  As  Bagdad 
became,  however,  the  residence  of  his  latter 
days,  and  the  tomb  of  his  wife  Zobeida  is 
still  shown  there,  this  town  of  Harounabad 
might  have  been  a  station  in  his  way  from 
the  one  place  to  the  other,  retaining  his 
name  from  some  connection  with  his  pre- 
sence or  patronage,  now  perhaps  forgotten. 

The  stream  which  rises  here  is  called 
Serneshoor,  and  is  considerable  enough  to 
require  a  bridge  near  its  source.  It  goes 
easterly  from  hence,  and  probably  falls  into 
the  Kara  Soo,  or  river  of  Kermanshah ;  but 
the  people,  satisfied  with  its  watering  their 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  125 

plain,  knew  nothing  further  of  its  course  be- 
yond their  immediate  neighbourhood. 

Sept.  14th. — There  being  two  horsemen 
going  from  hence  soon  after  midnight,  who 
intended  making  the  two  stages  to  Kerman- 
shah  in  one,  we  determined  to  accompany 
them,  and  mounting  when  the  moon  had 
risen,  we  went  together  south-east  over  the 
plain,  and  along  the  stream  of  Serneshoor,  for 
half  an  hour.  From  hence  we  turned  up 
northerly  through  rocky  hills,  by  a  nearer 
by-path,  known  to  our  companions  only,  and 
passing  over  them  came  again  into  the  high- 
road on  a  course  of  east-north-east. 

A  little  before  day-light  we  ascended  a  very 
rugged  steep,  which  was  appropriately  called 
in  Persian  "  Kotel-Nal-Shikund,"  or  "  The 
horse-shoe-destroying  Hill."  Our  course 
after  this  was  all  the  way  east-north-east, 
and  we  seemed  to  be  gradually  raising  our 
level  by  every  successive  hill,  until  the  sun- 
rise opened  to  us  the  beautiful  prospect  of 
"  Mahee-Dusht,"  or  the  "  yearly-birth-giving- 
plain."  This  presented  to  us  an  extent  of 
about  fifteen  miles  in  length,  by  ten  in 
breadth,    of    perfect   level,  stretching    from 


126    FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

north-north-west  to  south-south-east,  and 
bounded  by  lofty  hills  with  ragged  summits 
on  the  one  side,  and  by  gentler  and  more 
rounded  ones  on  the  other. 

It  was  studded  with  villages  in  every 
direction,  not  less  than  twenty  of  which  pre- 
sented themselves  successively  to  our  view; 
some  on  little  eminences  in  the  plain  itself, 
and  others  peeping  out  from  nooks  and  val- 
leys in  the  sides  of  the  hills,  which  opened 
but  for  a  moment  on  our  sight,  and  then 
closed  again  as  we  passed  along.  These  vil- 
lages were  formed  of  well-built  houses,  many 
of  them  containing  apparently  two  hundred 
separate  dwellings ;  and  besides  these  was 
a  still  greater  number  of  grass  and  reed  huts 
scattered  in  clusters  over  the  face  of  the 
plain.  The  soil  was  watered  by  a  clear 
stream,  at  the  source  of  which  we  drank. 
It  issued  from  the  foot  of  the  hill,  from 
the  brow  of  which  the  view  first  opened 
on  us,  and  only  a  few  paces  to  the  left  of 
our  road.  It  is  called  the  "  Water  of  Mahee- 
Dusht,"  and  is  said  to  lose  itself  in  that 
plain,  extending  its  fertilizing  influence  no 
further. 

The   land   was   divided    into    apparently 


1 


BY   THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  127 

equal  portions  of  arable  and  pasture ;  the 
corn  grown  on  it  is  praised  for  its  excellence, 
and  the  virtues  of  its  grass  are  particularly 
celebrated.  The  popular  opinion  is,  that 
even  barren  animals  brought  from  other 
parts  will  there  become  fruitful ;  and  it  is 
said  that  every  species  of  cattle  bred  on  this 
plain,  and  continuing  constantly  to  graze 
there,  will  bring  forth  its  young,  invariably, 
every  year,  from  whence  its  expressive  name. 
Others,  however,  give  this  epithet  a  dif- 
ferent interpretation,  and  say  that  it  signifies 
"  the  yearly-purchase-giving-plain,"  meaning, 
that  whosoever  may  buy  a  portion  of  the  soil 
there,  or  place  animals  of  any  given  worth 
to  graze  upon  it,  will  every  year  reap  the 
amount  of  his  purchase  in  actual  profit  on 
them  ;  or  in  other  words,  make  a  profit  of 
cent,  per  cent,  per  annum.  A  long  dispute 
was  maintained  on  this  subject,  even  in  our 
small  party,  which  was  at  last  amicably  ter- 
minated by  the  general  admission  that  such 
a  name  was  chiefly  meant  to  indicate  the 
great  fertility  and  excellent  qualities  of  the 
soil ;  and  that  in  either  case  the  epithet  was 
sufficiently  expressive. 

We  continued  to  go  east-north-east  over 


128    FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROSS, 

the  plain,  for  upwards  of  an  hour,  when  we 
reached  the  caravanserai,  having  been  about 
six  hours  on  our  road  from  Harounabad,  on 
a  general  course  of  east-north-east.  There 
were  only  a  few  dwellings  near  the  khan, 
which  had  been  erected  on  the  banks  of  the 
stream  that  ran  by  it,  for  the  shelter  and 
supply  of  passengers  halting  on  the  road ; 
and  even  from  these,  though  small,  we  pro- 
cured what  we  had  not  been  able  to  do  from 
the  largest  towns  since  leaving  Bagdad.  We 
found  here  milk,  lebben,  cheese,  dates,  good 
bread,  and  fruits  of  several  kinds,  in  abun- 
dance ;  so  that  we  enjoyed  our  repose,  and 
prolonged  it  until  noon  before  we  prepared 
to  move. 

After  prayers,  we  remounted  and  continu- 
ed our  way,  still  going  across  the  plain  in 
an  east-north-east  direction,  and  having  the 
high  and  ragged  summits  of  the  mountains 
of  Bisitoon  in  sight  above  the  range  that 
formed  the  boundary  of  the  plain  before  us. 
In  about  two  hours  we  reached  the  foot  of 
this  boundary,  when  we  began  to  ascend 
over  bare  hills,  and  through  uninteresting 
scenery,  with  a  total  absence  of  wood.  In 
half  an   hour   we   halted,    and  drank   at  a 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    ARCH.  129 

fountain  of  excellent  water,  rising  in  the 
hills,  called  in  Koordish  "  Ain-el-Koosh," 
and  considered  to  be  exactly  half-way  be- 
tween the  khan  of  Mahee-Dusht  and  Ker- 
manshah.  From  hence,  after  a  short  ascent, 
we  went  over  two  or  three  swelling  eminenr- 
ces,  till  we  came  in  sight  of  the  gardens  of 
Kermanshah,  the  fresh  and  verdant  bowers 
of  which  offered  a  beautiful  contrast  to  the 
brown  aspect  of  the  barren  hills.  We  now 
began  to  meet  crowds  of  passengers  issuing 
from  the  town,  many  of  them  apparently 
coming  out  on  an  evening  excursion  only ; 
and  about  sunset  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
town  itself. 

We  Watered  our  horses  at  a  small  stream 
just  below,  and  in  the  immediate  skirts 
of  the  town;  but  not  at  the  Kara  Soo,  as 
the  maps  had  led  me  to  expect  from  their 
placing  that  river  west  of  Kermanshah.  The 
appearance  of  the  place,  from  this  point  of 
view,  was  that  of  a  very  large  provincial 
town,  but  not  of  one  which  was  the  seat  of 
Royalty.  There  were  neither  lofty  minarets 
nor  fine  domes  to  be  seen,  and  excepting 
the  harem  of  the  Shah  Zade,  seated  on 
an  eminence  in  the  midst  of  a  verdant  gar- 

VOI..   I.  K 


130    FROM  SERPOOL,  ACROSS  MOUNT  ZAGROS, 

den,  and  the  octagonal  and  flat-topped  ki- 
osque  of  his  own  dwelling  in  the  castle, 
there  were  no  striking  objects  to  arrest  the 
attention. 

We  entered  by  a  mean  gate,  through  a 
wall  newly  built  of  unburnt  bricks,  flanked 
by  round  towers,  turreted,  and  showing  loop- 
holes for  musketry,  and  ports  for  cannon  ; 
but  without  a  ditch,  or  any  mounted  ord- 
nance on  the  battlements.  The  first  streets 
through  which  we  passed,  after  entering  the 
town,  were  not  superior  to  those  of  the  com- 
monest villages,  but  we  soon  came  to  works 
of  a  better  description.  The  whole  town 
seemed  to  be  in  a  state  of  building,  as  if 
just  rising  from  the  ashes  of  some  former 
one,  or  just  founded  by  a  colony  of  foreign 
settlers.  We  now  went  through  fine  streets 
in  every  stage  of  their  progress, — from  those 
just  finished  to  those  but  newly  begun.  All 
was  like  the  bustle  and  activity  of  a  per- 
fectly new  place.  The  shops  were  decked 
with  finery,  as  if  to  catch  the  eye,  and  force 
themselves  into  early  custom.  There  seemed 
an  abundance  of  every  thing  to  be  desired, 
both  necessaries  and  luxuries.  The  half- 
built  streets  and  new  bazars  were  thronged 


1 


BY    THE    PASS    OF    THE    AllCH.  131 

with  people,  all  extremely  busy,  and  intent 
on  some  important  errand. 

I  fancied  myself  in  what  I  should  have 
expected  a  Chinese  town  to  be, — amidst  a 
crowded  and  active  population,  seeing  on 
every  side  ingenious  devices  to  attract  the 
attention,  and  hearing  at  every  moment  the 
cries  of  those  who  did  not  depend  on  the 
mere  silent  exhibition  of  their  wares  alone 
to  sell  them.  Every  thing  offered  a  strik- 
ing contrast  to  the  towns  of  Turkey  and 
Arabia.  There  were  no  coffee-houses  at 
which  grave  idlers  were  lounging  over  their 
pipes  ;  no  slow  and  solemn-paced  passengers 
who  moved  as  if  for  pleasure  only ;  no  fine 
flowing  dresses  or  gay  colours,  compatible 
only  with  stately  attitudes  and  a  freedom 
from  menial  occupations ;  no  narrow  and 
dark  passages  to  exclude  the  rays  of  the 
sun ;  and  neither  mosques  nor  camels  to 
complete  the  characteristics  of  great  Ori- 
ental towns.  But  in  lieu  of  these  were 
seen  a  hundred  better  pledges  of  the  inge- 
nuity, comfort,  cleanliness,  and  activity  of 
the  people,  and  the  gratifying  sight  of  build- 
ing and  repair  instead  of  gradual  neglect  and 
decay. 

K   2 


132    FROM    SERPOOL    ACROSS    MOUNT    ZAGROSS. 

We  made  our  way  through  the  town,  pass- 
ing by  all  the  large  khans,  until,  arriving  at 
its  further  extremity,  we  found  a  small  ca- 
ravanserai, in  which  were  only  a  few  poor 
workmen  having  chambers ;  but  as  we  were 
likely  to  find  here  the  privacy  we  so  much 
desired,  we  accordingly  alighted  and  took  up 
our  quarters  in  this  welcome  obscurity. 


CHAPTER  V. 


^::i?^|!!lil!lli^^^^^iiiiii!l 


PERSIAN  HALL,  AND  EVENING  ENTERTAINMENT. 


Publiiihed  by  Henr>  Coibuin,  li  New  Uuillngtun  Street.    Jan.  I,  1829. 


1 


CHAPTER  V. 

VISITS  AT    KERMAKSHAH5  TO    THE  FRIENDS    OF 
MY    COMPANION. 

Sept.  15th.  —  We  took  an  early  walk 
through  all  the  principal  parts  of  the  town ; 
in  the  course  of  which,  my  companion,  the 
Dervish  Ismael,  met  with  a  hundred  of  his 
old  acquaintances,  and  forty  or  fifty  of  his 
best  friends,  he  having  been  at  different 
periods  a  frequent  resident  of  Kermanshah. 
The  salutations  between  them  were  in  all 
cases  cordial,  but  with  the  chosen  few  it  was 
that  of  the  closest  and  fondest  affection. 
They  kissed  each  other  on  the  lips,  on  the 
cheeks,  and  on  the  shoulders;  drew  off  to  look 
for  a  moment  face  to  face,  as  if  to  assure 
themselves  that  the  joy  of  meeting  was  not 
a  mere  illusion  ;  and  re-embraced  again  and 


134  VISITS   AT    KERMANSHAH, 

again,  with  greater  warmth  than  before.  We 
were  thus  taken  into  several  private  parties, 
saw  the  interior  of  many  of  the  largest 
houses,  and  were  entertained  after  the  best 
manner  of  the  country.  All  these  were  gra- 
tifying advantages,  and  afforded  me  much 
unexpected  pleasure  ;  but  it  was  still  inferior 
to  the  gratification  I  derived  from  witnessing 
at  every  succeeding  interview,  so  much  of 
cordial  attachment  and  friendly  joy,  which 
unequivocally  displayed  itself  in  those  happy 
meetings  of  men  who  evidently  regarded  each 
other  sincerely. 

Every  step  of  our  road  from  Bagdad  thus 
far,  had  given  me  more  favourable  impres- 
sions of  the  general  character  of  my  compa- 
nion than  I  had  anticipated.  The  extent 
of  his  information,  and  the  depth  of  his  me- 
taphysical researches,  had  often  surprised  me  ; 
while,  though  several  dark  spots  tainted  his 
history,  there  was  nevertheless  such  a  total 
absence  of  the  meaner  qualities  of  the  soul, 
so  high  and  independent  a  spirit,  so  frank 
and  undisguised  a  heart,  and  so  much  of  cha- 
rity and  benevolence  mingled  with  every  feel- 
ing to  which  it  gave  birth,  that  the  good 
seemed  to  me  to  outweigh  by  far  the  evil.     I 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.     135 

could  not  therefore  but  feel  an  esteem  for  the 
man,  mixed  with  a  constant  and  a  deep  re- 
gret that  so  much  natural  talent  and  overflow- 
ing benevolence  of  disposition  should  have 
been  half  lost,  and  half  perverted  to  worth- 
less purposes,  from  the  want  of  a  proper  bias 
being  given  by  education  and  example  in 
youth. 

Ismael,  for  such  was  his  name,  was  by  birth 
an  Aghwan,  or  Affghan,  from  the  country 
between  Hindoostan  and  Turkomania.  His 
father  was  poor,  but  avaricious  to  an  extreme 
degree  ;  and  he  conceived  that  it  was  the  con- 
stant sight  of  this  sordid  passion  displayed 
before  him  in  its  excess,  which  gave  him  a 
contempt  for  wealth  and  worldly  honours  at 
an  early  period  of  his  life. 

His  brothers,  he  said,  were  of  similar  dis- 
positions with  their  father ;  and  he  therefore 
left  them  all,  before  he  had  attained  his  tenth 
year,  and  that  too  without  a  sigh  of  regret, 
excepting  only  those  with  which  he  answered 
a  fond  mother's  tears,  as  she  wept  over  her 
darling  boy  at  parting.  He  promised,  how- 
ever, constantly  to  think  of  her,  and  to 
prove  a  friend  when  all  the  world  should 
have  neglected  her. 


136  VISITS   AT    KEllMANSHAH, 

After  wandering  through  the  whole  of  the 
Khorassaun,  visiting  the  great  city  of  Bok- 
hara in  the  north,  and  obtaining  always  the 
mere  supply  of  food  and  raiment  which  he 
desired,  by  the  occupations  which  fortune 
threw  in  his  way,  he  came  down  through 
Persia  to  Bagdad,  and  there  for  a  period 
settled. 

He  had  by  this  time  read  most  of  the 
Poets  and  Philosophers  of  the  East,  since  he 
already  understood  the  Persian,  the  Turkish, 
and  the  Arabic  languages,  sufficiently  well 
to  write  in  each.  He  had  studied  Astrono- 
my, Alchemy,  and  Physiognomy,  as  sciences, 
—not  on  those  principles  of  demonstration 
which  form  the  basis  of  scientific  pursuits  in 
Europe,  but  after  the  best  manner  which  the 
learning  and  learned  men  of  the  country  could 
point  out  to  him.  He  had  come  at  last,  how- 
ever, to  the  conclusion  of  the  Royal  He- 
brew, who  was  called  the  wisest  of  men,  that 
all  was  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit.  Like 
this  luxurious  monarch,  he  had  tasted  of 
every  pleasure  which  either  courage  or  mo- 
ney could  procure  him.  In  his  pursuit  of 
sensual  enjoyments^  he  had  broken  down 
every  barrier  of  moral  or  religious  prohibi- 


TO    THE    FRIENDS   OF    MY    COMPANION.    137 

tion;  and,  conceiving  himself  to  be  the  lord 
of  his  own  soul,  without  future  tribunal  or 
account,  had  launched  into  the  abyss  of  for- 
bidden gratifications — in  which  he  became 
so  deeply  immersed,  that  the  satiety  of  their 
excess,  as  he  himself  expressed  it,  wrought 
out  its  own  cure. 

At  Bagdad  he  became  more  correct  in  his 
conduct,  though  still  equally  regardless  of 
wealth  or  of  worldly  honours.  Having  an 
extraordinary  talent  as  an  engraver,  he  ap- 
plied himself  to  the  engraving  of  rings  and 
seals;  in  which  he  soon  became  so  celebra- 
ted, that  there  was  not  his  equal  throughout 
the  land  of  Islam.  Applications  were  made 
to  him  from  Constantinople  and  all  the  great 
towns  of  Turkey,  as  well  as  from  every  part 
of  Persia,  from  Tabriz  to  Shiraz.  As  his 
charges  were  always  extravagantly  high,  from 
his  consciousness  of  being  without  a  rival, 
and  from  its  requiring  a  very  powerful  in- 
ducement to  draw  him  either  from  his  studies 
or  his  pleasures,  money  flowed  fast  into  his 
purse.  Had  he  possessed  half  the  avarice  of 
his  father,  he  might  soon  have  been  a  wealthy 
man  ;  but  the  moment  that  he  found  him- 
self master  of  a  sufficient  sum,  he  quitted 


138  VISITS   AT    KERMANSHAH, 

Bagdad  on  an  excursion  of  pleasure,  gene- 
rally into  some  parts  of  Persia,  where  he 
remained  until  all  was  expended,  and  then 
returned  to  his  occupations  to  recruit  and 
prepare  for  further  relaxations.  Without 
this  variety,  he  said,  life  would  be  insupport- 
able ;  at  the  best,  he  thought  it  had  too  much 
of  monotony,  even  in  its  pleasures,  for  a  vivid 
and  ardent  mind ;  and  if  this  were  not  re- 
lieved by  those  occasional  flashes  of  joy,  and 
pangs  of  torture,  which  at  one  moment  in- 
toxicate, and  at  another  harrow  up  the  soul 
of  the  man  of  feeling,  it  would  be  better  to 
terminate  than  to  continue  a  life  not  worth 
the  trouble  of  preserving. 

Ismael  had  been  known  to  the  English 
residents  at  Bagdad  for  several  years,  during 
which  period  he  had  executed  a  number  of 
seals  and  rings  in  a  way  that  could  be  done 
by  no  one  else  in  the  city.  He  was  well 
known,  therefore,  both  to  Mr.  Rich  and  Mr. 
Hine,  who  equally  approved  of  my  making 
him  the  guide  and  companion  of  my  future 
journey. 

The  circumstances  under  which  our  inti- 
macy took  place  were  these ; — Being  desirous 
of  having  a  seal-ring  engraved,  for  my  own 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.     139 

use,  with  the  Arabic  name  of  Abdallah-ibn- 
Suliman,  the  Dervish  Ismael  was  sent  for  by 
the  gentlemen  of  the  house,  and  was  brought 
by  Mr.  Hine  to  my  chamber.  Some  compli- 
mentary salutations  having  passed  between 
us,  we  sat  down  together ;  and,  M^.  Hine 
leaving  us  alone,  when  the  order  for  the  seal 
was  perfectly  explained,  we  fell  into  other 
topics  of  conversation.  Not  many  minutes 
had  passed,  however,  before  my  visitor  started 
up  hastily  and  exclaimed : — "  W'Allah  !  ya 
Hadjee  Abdallah,  in  can  t'roakh  al  thaany 
Doonya,  ana  u'idjey  maak" — By  God,  O  ! 
Pilgrim  Abdallah  !  if  you  go  even  to  the 
other  world,  I  will  follow  you."  I  answered 
"  Al  UUah,  "—It  rests  with  God.  And  thus 
our  first  interview  ended. 

I  had  thought  no  more  of  this  affair,  rer 
garding  it  as  the  mere  flight  of  a  capricious 
fancy  ;  but  the  Dervish  himself  was  more  in 
earnest  than  I  had  conceived.  He  went  im- 
mediately to  declare  his  wish  to  Mr.  Rich, 
who  treated  it  as  I  had  done  myself;  and 
thus  the  matter  remained  suspended.  Some 
few  days  afterwards  the  ring  was  brought, 
when  Ismael  then  told  me  that  he  had  made 
every    thing   ready   for   his    departure,    and 


140  VISITS    AT    KERMANSHAH, 

would  not  listen  to  a  refusal.  I  was  myself 
perfectly  passive  in  the  case ;  as  it  was  a 
matter  of  indifference  to  me  who  my  com- 
panion was,  provided  he  understood  Arabic 
and  Persian,  of  the  last  of  which  languages  I 
knew  but  little.  Mr.  Rich  still  thought,  as 
before,  that  so  apparently  capricious  a  deter- 
mination was  not  likely  to  last ;  and  that 
I  might  therefore  be  abandoned  on  the  road, 
if  I  went  with  the  Dervish  only.  Mr.  Hine, 
however,  thought  he  knew  sufficiently  of 
Ismael's  character  to  vouch  for  his  fidelity, 
and  advised  me  to  take  him  with  me,  as  he 
desired. 

In  all  this,  not  a  word  was  said  about  the 
time  of  service,  or  of  the  compensation  ex- 
pected for  it.  The  affair  was  concluded  as  a 
matter  of  pure  attachment,  by  his  saying,  "  I 
shall  lose  here  the  opportunity  of  gaining 
two  or  three  thousand  piastres  for  the  execu- 
tion of  orders  now  on  my  hands ;  I  shall 
suffer  more  in  tearing  myself  away  from  two 
or  three  friends  who  are  very  dear  to  me,  and 
from  one  tender  object  of  my  affections  who 
is  of  far  more  value  to  me  than  my  own 
existence ;  but  from  the  moment  that  I  saw 
you  and  heard  your  voice,  I  felt  that  your 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.     141 

soul  contained  what  I  had  all  my  life  been 
searching  for  in  vain,  and  that  it  was  my 
destiny  to  follow  you  wherever  you  might 
go."  He  added,  "  I  shall  go  and  bury  my 
sorrows  in  the  bosom  of  love,  and  await  the 
moment  of  our  separation  with  all  the  tran- 
quillity of  a  soul  resigned  to  its  fate."  I  did 
all  that  was  in  my  power  to  combat  this  illu- 
sion, for  such  it  evidently  was,  but  in  vain. 
The  Dervish  remained  fixed  in  his  purpose, 
beyond  all  the  power  of  entreaty  or  refusal 
to  shake  it. 

When  the  day  of  our  departure  from 
Bagdad  came,  Ismael  appeared  before  me 
in  tears,  and  his  eyes  were  red  and  swoln 
with  shedding  them ;  but  when  I  asked  him 
why  he  would  make  such  painful  sacrifices 
for  my  sake,  he  answered  only  by  beating 
his  hand  violently  upon  his  heart,  stifling  a 
deep  sob,  and  turning  aside  his  head  to  hide 
the  vehemence  of  his  grief.  We  armed  our- 
selves in  my  room,  before  we  descended  into 
the  court  to  mount ;  and  when  I  braced  on 
my  pistols,  he  handled  them,  and  tried  their 
locks  with  a  sort  of  frantic  pleasure.  His 
own  musket,  which  was  a  small  East  India 
military  one,  of  English  make,  pleased  him 


142  VISITS    AT    KERMANSHAH, 

extremely  ;  and  he  tried  the  elasticity  of  my 
lance,  shaking  his  head  at  the  same  time,  and 
regretting  that  he  was  not  expert  in  the  use 
of  so  appropriate  a  weapon  as  this  was  for  a 
horseman.  He  examined  every  item  of  my 
baggage  with  scrupulous  attention,  demand- 
ed to  know  the  exact  sum  of  money  which 
I  took  with  me,  and  what  was  the  nature  of 
the  papers  I  possessed.  In  short,  his  beha- 
viour appeared  to  me  so  strange  and  unac- 
countable, that  I  felt  myself  now  and  then 
relapsing  into  those  suspicions  which  my 
kind  advisers  had  previously  removed.  But 
my  naturally  confiding  disposition  overcame 
all  doubts,  and  I  was  ultimately  quite  satis- 
fied with  the  arrangements  made. 

We  set  out  therefore  together,  without 
any  other  feeling  on  my  part  than  a  strong 
desire  to  know  more  of  my  companion,  whose 
conduct  appeared  so  inexplicable, — and  every 
day  partially  accomplished  that  wish.  At 
the  gate  of  Bagdad,  Ismael  was  met  by  an 
elderly  Christian  merchant,  whose  name  was 
Eleeas,  and  the  parting  between  these  was 
like  that  of  a  father  and  a  son  separating 
never  again  to  meet.  Tears  flowed  fast  from 
the  eyes  of  both  ;  and  when  I  learned  that 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.    143 

this  venerable  old  man  was  the  father  of  Is- 
mael's  love,  there  was  something  associated 
with  the  idea  of  a  Moslem  Dervish  dying 
with  affection  for  the  daughter  of  a  Chris- 
tian merchant,  and  these — though  one  was 
poor  and  despised  the  world,  and  the  other 
wealthy  and  attached  to  it — ^hanging  over 
each  other's  neck  in  all  the  sorrow  of  the 
most  closely  united  souls, — there  was  some- 
thing in  all  this  so  strange,  yet  so  affecting, 
that  I  felt  my  own  sympathies  powerfully 
touched  by  the  scene. 

On  our  way,  the  Dervish  was  always  too 
much  occupied,  either  in  his  own  reflections, 
or  in  conversation  with  me,  to  attend  to  the 
common  duties  of  the  road  ;  so  that  all  this, 
as  I  expected,  had  fallen  on  me.  But  for 
this  I  was  prepared ;  and  although  it  occu- 
pied more  of  my  time  than  was  favourable 
to  the  making  such  ample  observations  on 
our  route  as  I  desired,  yet  it  in  no  way  in- 
terrupted the  general  tranquillity  of  my 
mind,  and  I  was  therefore  content  and 
happy. 

The  Dervish  was  as  regardless  of  his  own 
immediate  concerns  as  of  mine  ;  for,  after 
quitting  Bakouba,  he  had  lost  a  purse  con- 


144  VISITS    AT    KERMANSHAH, 

taining  forty-five  gold  sequins,— a  small  bag, 
in  which  were  some  fine  stones  that  he  had 
promised  to  engrave  for  his  friends,  during 
his  absence,  at  the  first  place  he  should  find 
leisure, — as  well  as  a  paper  in  which  were 
written  certain  commissions  for  him  to  exe- 
cute for  his  friend  Eleeas,  from  Ispahaun, 
the  loss  of  which  last  affected  him  more 
deeply  than  all  the  rest. 

We  had  travelled  thus  far,  however,  hap- 
pily together ;  and  each  appeared  satisfied 
with  the  other.  On  the  road,  the  Dervish 
scarcely  ate  or  drank  sufficiently  to  support 
nature,  and  slept  always  on  the  bare  earth 
without  a  covering.  His  sleep  was  seldom 
tranquil :  for,  besides  his  speaking  dreams,  I 
had  been  often  awakened  by  him  in  the 
night',  when  I  found  him  sitting  in  a  corner, 
smoking  his  short  pipe  formed  only  of  the 
clay-ball  without  a  stem,  and  either  repeat- 
ing some  passages  of  Persian  poetry,  or  sigh- 
ing out  occasional  exclamations  in  his  native 
tongue. 

-  We  were  in  every  sense  of  the  word  com- 
panions; and  though  the  vigilance  of  our 
look-out  when  alone,  or  the  fear  of  being 
betrayed  to  suspicious  observers  when  in  a 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.    145 

caravan,  occasioned  us  to  talk  but  little  when 
on  horseback ;  yet,  when  we  had  alighted  at 
the  caravanserai,  and  the  evening  shadows 
came  to  veil  us  from  the  observation  of  others, 
we  often  sat  up  in  close  conversation  toge- 
ther until  midnight.  It  was  in  the  course 
of  these  communions  that  I  had  learned 
such  of  the  particulars  of  his  history  as  are 
already  detailed,  with  other  still  more  strik- 
ing features  of  his  disposition. 

It  must  be  premised  that  this  man,  though 
bred  a  Moslem,  and  always  supposed  to  have 
so  continued, — as  any  recantation  of  the 
faith  in  one  born  a  believer  is  punished  with 
death, — had  reasoned  himself  out  of  all  be- 
lief in  any  revealed  religion  whatever.  His 
notions  on  this  subject,  and  his  reasons  for 
the  opinion  which  he  entertained  that  all 
the  reputed  Prophets  were  either  misguided 
zealots  or  shameless  imi^ostors,  were  so  like 
those  of  Deists  in  most  countries  as  to  need 
no  detail.  He  professed  his  admiration,  how- 
ever, of  the  precept  which  enjoined  us  '  to 
do  unto  others  as  we  would  they  should  do 
unto  us  ;'  but,  like  many  others  who  publicly 
make  this  the  rule  of  their  conduct,  he  very 
frequently  departed  from  it.     His  passions 

VOL.   I.  JL 


146  VISITS    AT    KERMANSHAH, 

were  by  nature  too  powerful,  and  through 
life  had  reigned  too  long  without  control,  to 
be  made  subject  to  any  laws  :  so  that,  when 
doctrines  stood  in  the  way  of  his  pleasures, 
he  invariably  trampled  them  under  foot. 

His  companions  and  bosom  friends  in 
Bagdad  were  two  Moslems :  one  a  Persian  of 
the  Sheeah  sect,  the  chief  MoUah  of  the 
Tomb  of  Imaum  Moosa,  the  author  of  many 
existing  books  on  science  and  philosophy, 
and  by  far  the  most  learned  man  of  that 
city ;  the  other  an  Arab  Soonnee,  a  Mollah 
also,  of  the  Mosque  of  the  Vizier,  near  the 
banks  of  the  Tigris  at  Bagdad.  Besides  these, 
were  eight  or  ten  wealthy  Christian  mer- 
chants, Armenians  and  Catholics,  who  were 
known  to  each  other  as  fellow  members  of  a 
secret  society,  calling  themselves  '  Mutuffuk 
b'el  Filosofeeah,'  or  'United  by  Philosophy.' 
These  men  met  occasionally  at  the  house 
of  one  or  other  of  the  Christian  members, 
and  there  gave  loose  to  every  sort  of  de- 
bauchery which  could  be  indulged  in  as 
pleasure.  Music,  wine,  lascivious  dances, 
women,  and,  in  short,  all  that  was  deemed 
voluptuous,  was  yielded  to ;  so  that  the  Bac- 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.     147 

chanalia  of  ancient  Rome  seemed  to  be  re- 
vived by  these  Eastern  libertines. 

During  the  late  Ramadan,  nearly  a  thou- 
sand pounds  sterling  was  expended  among, 
this  knot  of  philosophers,  for  women  only  ; 
by  which,  however,  they  procured  those  of 
the  first  distinction  in  the  place,  both  wives 
and  daughters  of  those  high  in  office  and  in 
wealth.  That  such  things  are  practicable 
and  practised,  is  beyond  a  doubt ;  and,  in- 
deed, when  the  very  separate  state  in  which 
the  women  live  from  the  men,  their  liberty 
of  going  out  and  coming  in  when  they 
please,  except  in  royal  harems  where  they 
are  guarded  by  eunuchs,  and  the  impossibility 
of  recognizing  one  woman  from  another  in 
their  street-dresses,  be  considered, — one  can- 
not but  subscribe  to  the  opinion  of  Lady 
Mary  Wortley  Montague,  '  that  as  far  as  the 
safety  of  intrigue  is  implied  by  liberty,  the 
women  of  Turkey  have  more  than  those  of 
Europe.'  The  separate  purses  of  the  hus- 
band and  the  wife,  and  the  stated  allow- 
ances of  the  latter,  contribute  very  power- 
fully to  their  infidelity.  Shut  out  from 
that  open   intercourse  with  men  which  the 

L   2 


148  VISITS    AT    KERMANSHAH, 

females  of  Europe  enjoy,  and  denied  the 
benefit  of  education,  the  only  pleasures  they 
know  are  those  of  the  passions,  a  love  of 
novelty  in  suitors  for  their  favours,  and  a 
fondness  for  finery  in  dress.  As,  however, 
they  seldom  entertain  any  decided  prefer- 
ence for  particular  individuals,  and  would 
find  it  generally  difficult  to  indulge  their 
choice,  all  affairs  of  this  nature  are  conducted 
by  inferior  agents,  and  money  is  the  only 
standard  by  which  the  claims  of  the  solicitors 
are  measured.  When  the  sum  is  once  fixed, 
the  rest  is  easily  accomplished ;  and  whole 
nights  are  passed  by  supposed  faithful  wives 
in  the  arms  of  others,  without  their  being 
missed  by  their  husbands,  since  it  is  not 
the  fashion  of  the  country  for  married  people 
to  share  constantly  the  same  bed.  Three 
thousand  piastres,  or  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  sterling,  were  currently  named 
as  the  price  of  the  daughter  of  the  Duf- 
terdar  EfFendi,  one  of  the  Secretaries  of 
State ;  and  this  sum  was  said  to  have  been 
actually  paid  by  an  old  Christian  merchant 
who  had  a  wife  and  twelve  children  of  his 
own ! 

Amidst  all  this,  I  was  at  a  loss  to  conceive 


TO    THE    1  illENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.     159 

how  the  Dervish  could  find  much  enjoyment, 
while  labouring  under  the  strong  passion 
which  I  supposed  he  must  then  have  felt 
for  the  object  of  his  affections  at  Bagdad, 
whom  he  had  quitted  with  so  much  reluct- 
ance. What  was  my  surprise,  however,  on 
seeking  an  explanation  of  this  seeming  in- 
consistency, to  find  it  was  the  son,  and  not 
the  daughter,  of  his  friend  Elias  who  held 
so  powerful  a  hold  on  his  heart !  I  shrunk 
back  from  the  confession  as  a  man  would 
recoil  from  a  serpent  on  which  he  had  unex- 
pectedly trodden;  and  I  was  struck  silent 
from  further  enquiry,  as  one  would  be  averse 
to  moving  forward  while  so  venomous  and 
deadly  a  reptile  lay  in  his  path.  I  was  de- 
lighted to  find,  however,  at  last,  that  this 
was  a  pure  and  honourable  passion.  His 
fondness  for  the  boy  was  of  such  a  nature 
as  that  he  could  not  suffer  him  ever  to  leave 
the  house,  or  be  profaned  by  his  exposure 
to  the  sight  of  others,  keeping  him  always 
as  sacred  as  the  most  secluded  member  of 
the  harem  ;  and  in  answers  to  enquiries  na- 
turally suggested  by  the  subject,  he  declared 
he  would  rather  suffer  death  than  do  the 
slightest  harm  to  so   pure,  so  innocent,  so 


150  VISITS    AT    KERMANSHAH, 

heavenly  a  creature  as  this.  The  friendship 
existing  between  the  father  of  the  child  and 
its  avowed  lover,  seemed  to  prove  at  least 
that  the  parent  was  satisfied  as  to  the  nature 
of  the  feeling;  and  all  that  I  saw  myself, 
though  I  then  thought  it  was  for  a  female 
person,  still  appeared  to  me,  even  after  I  was 
undeceived  in  this  particular,  to  be  the  re- 
sult of  a  genuine  effusion  of  nature,  and  in 
no  way  the  symptoms  of  a  depraved  feeling. 

I  remembered  all  that  had  been  said  on 
the  subject  of  the  love  of  boys  among  the 
Greeks,  by  those  who  conceived  it  to  be  a 
pure  and  honourable  affection,  as  well  as  by 
those  who  thought  the  contrary.  M.  De 
Pauw's  remarks  on  the  beauty  of  the  Grecian 
youth  were  fresh  in  my  recollection,  and 
Archbishop  Potter's  apology  for,  or  defence 
of  the  practice,  as  springing  from  an  honour- 
able source,  were  still  familiar  to  me.  This 
instance  seemed  so  strong  a  confirmation  of 
the  possibility  of  such  a  passion  existing, 
and  being  yet  productive  of  no  corrupt  ef- 
fects, that  I  had  no  longer  any  doubt  but 
that  the  greater  number  of  instances  were  of 
this  kind. 

The  remarks  of  Archbishop  Potter  on  this 


TO    THE    FKIENDS   OF    MY    COMPANION.     151 

subject  are  so  much  to  the  purpose,  that  it 
may  not  be  deemed  irrelevant  to  introduce 
them  here  :    He  says  : — 

'  Who  it  was  that  first  introduced  the  cus- 
tom of  loving  boys  into  Greece  is  uncertain ; 
however  (to    omit    the  infamous  amours   of 
Jupiter,    Orpheus,    Laius    of   Thebes,    and 
others,)    we  find    it   generally  practised  by 
the  ancient  Grecians,  and  that  not  only  in 
private,  but  by  the  public  allowance  and  en- 
couragement of  their  laws  ;  for  they  thought 
there  could  be  no  means  more  effectual  to 
excite  their  youth  to  noble  undertakings,  nor 
any  greater  security  to  their  commonwealths, 
than  this  generous  passion.  This  the  invaders 
of  their  liberties  so  often  experienced,  that 
it  became  a  received  maxim  in  the  politics 
of  tyrants,  to  use  all  their  endeavours  to  ex- 
tirpate it  out  of  their  dominions  ;  some  in- 
stances whereof  we  have   in  Athenaeus :  on 
the    contrary,    free  commonwealths  and  all 
those  states  that  consulted  the  advancement 
of  their    own   honour,    seem  to  have  been 
unanimous  in  establishing  laws  to  encourage 
and  reward  it.     Let  us  take  a  view  of  some 
few  of  them. 

'  First,  we  shall  find  it  to  have  been  so  ge- 


152  VISITS    AT    KERMANSHAH, 

nerally  practised,  so  highly  esteemed  in  Crete, 
that  such  of  their  well-born  and  beautiful 
youths  as  never  had  any  lovers,  incurred  the 
public  censure,  as  persons  some  way  or  other 
faulty  in  their  morals ;  as  if  nothing  else 
could  hinder  but  that  some  one's  affections 
would  be  placed  upon  them :  but  those  that 
were  more  happy  in  being  admired,  were 
honoured  with  the  first  seats  at  public  exer- 
cises, and  wore,  for  a  distinguishing  badge 
of  honour,  a  sort  of  garment  richly  adorned ; 
this  they  still  retained  after  they  arrived  to 
man's  estate,  in  memory  they  had  once  been 
-/.Xiivo),  eminent^  which  was  the  name  the  Cre- 
tans gave  to  youths  who  had  lovers.  The 
lovers  themselves  were  called  ^iXrjro^sg.  One 
thing  was  remarkable  in  this  place,  that  the 
lovers  always  took  their  boys  by  force ;  for, 
having  placed  their  affections  upon  any  one, 
they  gave  notice  of  it  to  his  relations,  and 
withal  certified  them  what  day  they  designed 
to  take  him :  if  the  lover  was  unworthy  of 
the  boy,  they  refused  to  yield  him  up;  but 
if  his  quality  and  virtues  were  answerable, 
they  made  some  slight  opposition  to  satisfy 
the  law,  and  pursued  him  to  his  lodgings,  but 
then  gave  their  consent.    After  this,  the  lover 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY   COMPANION.    153 

carried  the  boy  whither  he  pleased,  the  per- 
sons that  were  present  at  the  rape  bearing 
him  company.  He  entertained  him  some 
time,  two  months  at  the  farthest,  with  hunt- 
ing and  such  diversions  ;  then  they  returned 
him  home.  At  his  departure,  it  was  ordered 
by  law  that  the  boy  should  receive  a  suit  of 
armour,  an  ox,  and  a  cup,  to  which  the  lover 
usually  added  out  of  his  own  bounty  several 
other  presents  of  value.  The  boy  being  re- 
turned home,  sacrificed  the  ox  to  Jupiter, 
made  an  entertainment  for  those  that  had 
accompanied  him  in  his  flight,  and  gave  an 
account  of  the  usage  he  had  from  his  lover  ; 
for  in  case  he  was  rudely  treated,  the  law^ 
allowed  him  satisfaction.  It  is  farther  af- 
firmed by  Maximus  the  Tyrian,  that  during 
all  the  time  of  their  converse  together,  no- 
thing unseemly,  nothing  repugnant  to  the 
ancient  laws  of  virtue  passed  between  them ; 
and  however  some  authors  are  inclined  to 
have  hard  thoughts  of  this  custom,  yet  the 
testimonies  of  many  others,  with  the  high 
characters  given  by  the  ancients  of  the  old 
Cretan  constitutions,  by  which  it  was  ap- 
proved, are  sufficient  to  vindicate  it  from  all 
false  imputations.     The  same  is  put  beyond 


154  VISITS    AT    KERMANSHAH, 

dispute  by  what  Strabo  tells  us,  that  it  was 
not  so  much  the  external  beauty  of  a  boy 
as  his  virtuous  disposition,  his  modesty,  and 
courage,  which  recommended  him. 

'  From  the  Cretans  pass  we  to  the  Lace- 
daemonians, several  of  whose  constitutions 
were  derived  from  Crete.  Their  love  of 
boys  was  remarkable  all  over  Greece,  and 
for  the  whole  conduct  and  excellent  conse- 
quences of  it  every  where  admired.  There 
was  no  such  thing  as  presents  passed  between 
the  lovers,  no  foul  arts  were  used  to  insi- 
nuate themselves  into  one  another's  aflFec- 
tions  ;  their  love  was  generous,  and  worthy 
the  Spartan  education ;  it  was  first  enter- 
tained from  a  mutual  esteem  of  one  another's 
virtue ;  and  the  same  cause  which  first  in- 
spired the  flame,  did  -alone  serve  to  nourish 
and  continue  it ;  it  was  not  tainted  with  so 
much  as  a  suspicion  of  immodesty.  Agesi- 
laus  is  said  to  have  refused  so  much  as  to 
kiss  the  boy  he  loved,  for  fear  of  censure  : 
and  if  a  person  attempted  any  thing  upon 
a  youth  besides  what  consisted  with  the 
strictest  rules  of  modesty,  the  laws  (however 
encouraging  a  virtuous  love)  condemned 
him  to  disgrace,  whereby  he  was  deprived  of 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.     155 

almost  all  the  privileges  of  free  denizens. 
The  same  practice  was  allowed  the  women 
toward  their  own  sex,  and  was  so  much  in 
fashion  among  them,  that  the  most  staid  and 
virtuous  matrons  would  publicly  own  then' 
passion  for  a  modest  and  beautiful  virgin, 
which  is  a  farther  confirmation  of  the  in- 
nocency  of  this  custom.  Maximus  the  Ty- 
rian  assures  us  the  Spartans  loved  their  boys 
no  otherwise  than  a  man  may  be  enamoured 
with  a  beautiful  statue,  which  he  proves 
from  what  Plutarch  likewise  reports,  that 
though  several  men's  fancies  met  in  one  per- 
son, yet  did  not  that  cause  any  strangeness 
or  jealousy  among  them,  but  was  rather  the 
beginning  of  a  very  intimate  friendship, 
whilst  they  all  jointly  conspired  to  render 
the  beloved  boy  the  most  accomplished  in 
the  world ;  for  the  end  of  this  love  was, 
that  the  young  men  might  be  improved  in 
all  virtuous  and  commendable  qualities,  by 
conversing  with  men  of  probity  and  experi- 
ence ;  whence  the  lover  and  the  beloved 
shared  the  honour  and  disgrace  of  each  other  ; 
the  lover  especially  was  blamed  if  the  boy 
offended,  and  suffered  what  punishment  was 
due  to  his  fault.     Plutarch  has  a  story  of  a 


156  VISITS    AT    KERMANSHAH, 

Spartan  fined  by  the  magistrates,  because  the 
lad  whom  he  loved  cried  out  effeminately 
whilst  he  was  fighting.  The  same  love  con- 
tinued when  the  boy  was  come  to  man's 
estate  ;  he  still  preserved  his  former  intimacy 
with  his  lover,  imparted  to  him  all  his  de- 
signs, and  was  directed  by  his  counsels,  as 
appears  from  another  of  Plutarch's  relations 
concerning  Cleomenes,  who,  before  his  ad- 
vancement to  the  kingdom,  was  beloved  by 
one  Xenares,  with  whom  he  ever  after  main- 
tained a  most  intimate  friendship,  till  he 
went  about  his  project  of  new-modelling  the 
commonwealth,  which  Xenares  not  approv- 
ing, departed  from  him,  but  still  remained 
faithful  to  him  and  concealed  his  designs. 

'  If  we  pass  from  Sparta  to  Athens,  we 
shall  find  that  there  Solon  forbade  slaves 
to  love  boys,  making  that  an  honourable  ac- 
tion, and,  as  it  were,  inviting  (these  are  Plu- 
tarch's words)  the  worthy  to  practise  what 
he  commanded  the  unworthy  to  forbear. 
That  lawgiver  himself  is  said  to  have  loved 
Pisistratus,  and  the  most  eminent  men  in 
that  commonwealth  submitted  to  the  same 
passion.  Socrates,  who  died  a  martyr  for 
disowning   the  pagan    idolatry,  is   very   re- 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.     157 

markable  for  such  amours,  yet  seems  not 
whilst  alive  to  have  incurred  the  least  sus- 
picion of  dishonesty ;  for  what  else  could  be 
the  cause  that  when  Callias,  Thrasymachus, 
Aristophanes,  Anytus,  and  Melitus,  with  the 
rest  of  his  enemies,  accused  him  of  teach- 
ing Critias  to  tyrannize^  for  sophistry,  for 
contempt  of  the  gods,  and  other  crimes, 
they  never  so  much  as  upbraided  him  with 
impure  love,  or  for  writing  or  discoursing 
upon  that  subject  ?  And  though  some  per- 
sons, especially  in  later  ages,  and  perhaps 
unacquainted  with  the  practice  of  the  old 
Grecians,  have  called  in  question  that  phi- 
losopher's virtue  in  this  point,  yet  both  he 
and  his  scholar  Plato  are  sufficiently  vin- 
dicated from  that  imputation  by  Maximus 
the  Tyrian,  to  whom  I  refer  the  reader. 
The  innocency  of  this  love  may  farther  ap- 
pear from  their  severe  laws  enacted  against 
immodest  love,  whereby  the  youths  that  en- 
tertained such  lovers  were  declared  infamous 
and  rendered  incapable  of  public  employ- 
ments, and  the  persons  that  prostituted  them 
condemned  to  die.  Several  other  penalties 
were  likewise  ordered  to  deter  all  men  from 
so  heinous  and  detestable  a  crime,  as  appears 


158  VISITS    AT    KERMANSHAH, 

from  the  laws  of  Athens,  described  in  one  of 
the  foregoing  books. 

'  There  are  many  other  examples  of  this 
nature,  whereof  I  shall  only  mention  one 
more  :  it  shall  be  taken  from  the  Thebans, 
whose  lawgivers,  Plutarch  tells  us,  encou- 
raged this  excellent  passion  to  temper  the 
manners  of  their  youth ;  nor  were  they  dis- 
appointed of  their  expectation,  a  pregnant 
evidence  whereof  (to  omit  others)  we  have  in 
the  h^a.  (pccXoLyl,  or  sacred  band  ;  it  was  a  party 
of  three  hundred  chosen  men,  composed  of 
lovers  and  their  beloved,  and  therefore  called 
sacred  ;  it  gained  many  important  victories, 
was  the  first  that  ever  overcame  the  Spartans 
(whose  courage  till  then  seemed  irresistible) 
upon  equal  terms,  and  was  never  beaten  till 
the  battle  at  Cheronea ;  after  which,  king 
Philip,  taking  a  view  of  the  slain,  and  com- 
ing to  the  place  where  these  three  hundred, 
who  had  fought  his  whole  phalanx,  lay  dead 
together,  he  was  struck  with  wonder,  and 
understanding  that  it  was  the  band  of  lovers 
he  said,  weeping,  '  Let  them  perish  who  sus- 
pect that  these  men  either  did  or  suffered 
any  thing  base.' '  ^ 

*  Archeeologia  Grseca,  vol.  ii.  chap.  ix.  p.  239,  8vo.  ed.  1820. 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY   COMPANION.     159 

I  took  the  greatest  pains  to  ascertain,  by 
a  severe  and  minute  investigation,  how  far  it 
might  be  possible  to  doubt  of  the  purity  of 
the  passion  by  which  this  Affghan  Dervish 
was  possessed,  and  whether  it  deserved  to 
be  classed  with  that  described  as  prevailing 
among  the  ancient  Greeks ;  and  the  result 
fully  satisfied  me  that  both  were  the  same. 
Ismael  was,  however,  surprised  beyond  mea- 
sure, when  I  assured  him  that  such  a  feel- 
ing was  not  known  at  all  among  the  peo- 
ple of  Europe.  '  But  how  T  said  he  :  '  Has 
Nature  then  constituted  you  of  different  ma- 
terials from  other  men  ?  Can  you  behold  a 
youth,  lovely  as  the  moon,  chaste,  innocent, 
playful,  generous,  kind,  amiable, — in  short, 
containing  all  the  perfections  of  innocent 
boyhood,  which  like  the  most  delicate  odour 
of  the  rose,  exists  only  in  the  bud,  and  be- 
comes of  a  coarser  and  less  lovely  kind  when 
blown  into  maturity — can  you  look  on  a 
being,  so  fit  for  Heaven  as  this  is,  and  not 
involuntarily  love  it?'  I  agreed  with  him 
that  a  sort  of  admiration  or  affection  might 
be  the  result,  but  I  at  the  same  time  strove 
to  mark  the  distinction  between  an  esteem 
founded  on  the  admiration  of  such  rare  qua- 


160  VISITS    AT    KEliMANSHAH, 

lities,  and  any  thing  like  a  regard  for  the 
person.  I  did  not  succeed,  however,  in  con- 
vincing him  ;  for,  to  his  mind,  no  such  dis- 
tinction seemed  to  exist ;  and  he  contended, 
that  if  it  were  possible  for  a  man  to  be  ena- 
moured of  every  thing  that  is  fair,  and 
lovely,  and  good  and  beautiful,  in  2i  female 
form,  without  a  reference  to  the  enjoyment 
of  the  person,  which  feeling  may  most  un- 
questionably exist,  so  the  same  sentiment 
might  be  excited  towards  similar  charms 
united  in  a  youth  of  the  other  sex,  without 
reference  to  any  impure  desires  ;  and  that, 
in  short,  in  such  a  case,  the  lover  would  feel 
as  much  repugnance  at  the  intrusion  of  any 
unchaste  thought;  as  would  the  admirer  of  a 
virtuous  girl  at  the  exhibition  of  any  inde- 
licacy, or  the  presence  of  any  thing,  indeed, 
which  could  give  offence  to  the  strictest  pro- 
priety in  their  mutual  intercourse. 

The  Dervish  added  a  striking  instance  of 
the  force  of  these  attachments,  and  the  sym- 
pathy which  was  felt  in  the  sorrows  to  which 
they  led,  by  the  following  fact  from  his  own 
history.  The  place  of  his  residence,  and  of 
his  usual  labour,  was  near  the  bridge  of  the 
Tigris,  at  the  gate   of  the   Mosque  of  the 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION      l6l 

Vizier.  While  he  sat  here,  about  five  or  six 
years  since,  surrounded  by  several  of  his 
friends,  who  came  often  to  enjoy  his  conver- 
sation and  beguile  the  tedium  of  his  work, 
he  observed,  passing  among  the  crowd,  a 
young  and  beautiful  Turkish  boy,  whose 
eyes  met  his,  as  if  by  destiny,  and  they  re- 
mained fixedly  gazing  on  each  other  for 
some  time.  The  boy,  after  'blushing  like 
the  first  hue  of  a  summer  morning,'  passed 
on,  frequently  turning  back  to  look  on  the 
person  who  had  regarded  him  so  ardently. 
The  Dervish  felt  his  heart  '  revolve  within 
him,'  for  such  was  his  expression,  and  a  cold 
sweat  came  across  his  brow.  He  hung  his 
head  upon  his  graving-tool  in  dejection,  and 
excused  himself  to  those  about  him,  by  say- 
ing he  felt  suddenly  ill.  Shortly  afterwards, 
the  boy  returned,  and  after  walking  to  and 
fro  several  times,  drawing  nearer  and  nearer, 
as  if  under  the  influence  of  some  attracting 
charm,  he  came  up  to  his  observer,  and  said, 
'Is  it  really  true,  then,  that  you  love  me?' 
'  This,'  said  Ismael,  '  was  a  dagger  in  my 
heart ;  I  could  make  no  reply.'  The  friends 
who  were  near  him,  and  now  saw  all  ex- 
plained, asked  him  if  there   had  been  any 

VOL.  I.  M 


162  VISITS    AT    KERMANSHAH, 

previous  acquaintance  existing  between  them. 
He  assured  them  that  they  had  never  seen 
each  other  before.  '  Then,'  they  replied, 
'  such  an  event  must  be  from  God.' 

The  boy  continued  to  remain  for  a  while 
with  this  party,  told  with  great  frankness  the 
name  and  rank  of  his  parents,  as  well  as  the 
place  of  his  residence,  and  promised  to  re- 
peat his  visit  on  the  following  day.  He  did 
this  regularly  for  several  months  in  succes- 
sion, sitting  for  hours  by  the  Dervish,  and 
either  singing  to  him,  or  asking  him  inte- 
resting questions,  to  beguile  his  labours,  un- 
til, as  Ismael  expressed  himself,  '  though 
they  were  still  two  bodies,  they  became  one 
soul.'  The  youth  at  length  fell  sick,  and 
was  .confined  to  his  bed,  during  which  time 
his  lover,  Ismael,  discontinued  entirely  his 
usual  occupations,  and  abandoned  himself 
completely  to  the  care  of  his  beloved.  He 
watched  the  changes  of  his  disease  with  more 
than  the  anxiety  of  a  parent,  and  never  quit- 
ted his  bed-side,  night  or  day.  Death  at 
length  separated  them ;  but  even  when  this 
stroke  came,  the  Dervish  could  not  be  pre- 
vailed on  to  quit  the  corpse.     He  constantly 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.     l63 

visited  the  grave  that  contained  the  remains 
of  all  he  held  dear  on  earth,  and,  planting 
myrtles  and  flowers  there,  after  the  manner 
of  the  East,  bedewed  them  daily  with  his 
tears. 

His  friends  sympathized  powerfully  in  his 
distress,  which,  he  said,  'continued  to  feed 
his  grief,'  until  he  pined  away  to  absolute 
illness,  and  was  near  following  the  fate  of 
him  whom  he  deplored.  On  quitting  Bag- 
dad, however,  the  constant  succession  of  new 
scenes  and  new  events  that  befel  him,  in 
an  excursion  through  Persia  to  Khorasan, 
progressively  obliterated  the  deep  impres- 
sions which  sorrow  had  made  upon  his  hap- 
piness. It  was  on  this  occasion,  of  his  leav- 
ing the  city,  that  his  feelings  burst  forth  in 
an  elegiac  '  Ode  to  Love,'  which  he  para- 
phrased from  his  native  tongue,  the  Pushtoo, 
into  Arabic ;  and  even  in  that  form  it  ap- 
peared exceedingly  eloquent,  and  reminded 
me  powerfully  of  the  praises  which  Anacreon 
bestowed  on  his  lovely,  and,  perhaps,  equally 
chaste  Bathyllus. 

From  all  this,  added  to  many  other  exam- 
ples of  a  similar  kind,  related  as  happening 

2  M^ 


164  VISITS    AT    KEllMANSHAH, 

between  persons  who  had  often  been  pointed 
out  to  me  in  Arabia  and  Persia,  I  could  no 
longer  doubt  the  existence  in  the  East  of  an 
affection  for  male  youths,  of  as  pure  and  ho- 
nourable a  kind  as  that  which  is  felt  in  Eu- 
rope for  those  of  the  other  sex.     The  most 
eminent  scholars  have  contended  for  the  pu- 
rity of  a  similar  passion,  which  not  only  pre- 
vailed, but  as  we  have  already  seen,  was  pub- 
licly countenanced,  and  praised,  in  Greece; 
and  if  the  passion  there  could  be  a  chaste 
one,  it  may  be  admitted  to  be  equally  pos- 
sible here.      De  Pauw    ascribes   it   in    that 
country  to  the  superior  beauty  of  the  males 
to  the  females,  which  is  hardly  likely  to  have 
been  the  sole  cause  ;  but,  even  admitting  the 
admiration  of  personal  beauty  to  have  enter- 
ed largely  into  the  sources  of  this  singular 
direction  of  feeling,  it  would  be  as  unjust  to 
suppose  that  this  necessarily  implied  impu- 
rity  of  desire,  as  to    contend   that   no  one 
could  admire  a  lovely   countenance   and   a 
beautiful  form  in  the  other  sex,  and  still  be 
inspired  with  sentiments  of  the  most  pure 
and  honourable  nature  toward  the  object  of 
his  admiration. 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.     l65 

One  powerful  reason  why  this  passion  may 
exist  in  the  East  while  it  is  quite  unknown 
in  the  West,  is  probably  the  seclusion  of  wo- 
men in  the  former,  and  the  freedom  of  ac- 
cess to  them  in  the  latter.  People  of  such 
warm  imaginations  and  high  sensibilities  as 
some  among  the  Asiatics  unquestionably  are, 
must  pour  out  their  hearts  and  discharge 
the  overflowing  affections  of  their  nature  on 
something,  and  they  are  likely  to  fix  them 
on  that  which  they  deem  most  amiable  and 
lovely  among  the  objects  familiar  to  them. 
Had  they  the  unrestrained  intercourse  which 
we  enjoy  with  such  superior  beings  as  the 
virtuous  and  accomplished  females  of  our 
own  country,  they  would  find  nothing  in  na- 
ture so  deserving  of  their  love  as  these.  But 
in  countries  where  scarcely  a  virtuous  and 
never  an  accomplished  female  exists,  where 
almost  every  woman  is  without  education, 
and  where  opportunity  and  high  payment 
are  all  that  is  required  to  make  the  most 
chaste  a  willing  prey  ;  in  countries,  in  short, 
where,  besides  the  debased  state  of  female 
society,  men  are  so  completely  shut  out  even 
from  this,  that  the  occasional  sight  of  their 


166  VISITS    AT    KEIIMANSHAH, 

beauty  cannot  inflame  them,  where  can  any 
thing  so  love-inspiring  else  be  found,  as  a 
young,  an  innocent,  an  amiable,  and  an  in- 
telligent youth  ?  And  who  but  those  of  the 
very  basest  of  their  species,  would  think  of 
degrading,  even  in  their  own  eyes,  a  being, 
whether  male  or  female,  whom  they  devot- 
edly and  sincerely  loved  ? 

Such  debauchees  as  we  have  in  England^ 
who  pride  themselves  on  the  number  of  in- 
nocent girls  they  have  seduced  and  betrayed, 
might  perhaps  do  so ;  but  these  are  surely 
not  a  criterion  by  which  to  judge  the  great 
mass  of  any  country.  Even  where  custom 
and  habit  may  have  deadened  the  feelings 
of  shame  at  this  crime,  the  voice  of  nature 
must  be  always  heard  to  plead  against  it. 
And  such,  indeed,  is  the  fact ;  for  while  the 
Jelabs  or  public  boys  of  Turkey  and  Persia 
are  as  much  despised  and  shunned  in  those 
countries,  as  abandoned  women  are  with  us, 
or  even  more  so;  the  youths  who  are  the 
avowed  favourites  or  beloved  of  particular 
individuals,  are  as  much  respected,  and 
thought  as  honourably  of,  as  any  virtuous 
girl,   whose   amiable   qualities  should   have 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.     167 

procured  her  an  honourable  lover,  while  her 
companions  were  seeking  in  vain  for  such  a 
distinction. 

But  it  is  time  to  return  from  a  digression, 
which  it  is  hoped  will  not  be  thought  wholly 
irrelevant,  as  tending  to  elucidate  a  very  im- 
portant feature  in  the  manners  of  the  East, 
and  one  on  which  much  misconception  ex- 
ists.   My  Dervish,  then,  notwithstanding  this 
disposition,  unknown  and  almost  inconceiv- 
able among  us,  had  many  excellent  qualities 
which  Europeans,  as  well  as  Asiatics,  know 
how  to  appreciate.     He  was  brave  and  fear- 
less in   the  highest  degree,  a  virtue  in  the 
estimation   of  all  men,  from  the  savage  to 
the  sage.     He  h,ad  a  heart  that  felt  most 
warmly  for  the  distresses  of  the  poor,  and  had 
relieved  many  from  his  own  purse,  and  plead- 
ed the  cause  of  others  in  appeals  to  mine, 
during  the  short  time  we  had  been  together. 
On  our  route,  we  had  found  a  little  orphan 
boy,  whom  his  master  had  left  behind  him 
on  the  road,  from  his  incapacity  to  walk  as 
fast  as  the  daily  journeys  of  the  caravan.     As 
his  feet  had  swollen  from  his  being  shoeless, 
Ismael  set  him  on  his  own  horse,  and  walked 


168  VISITS    AT    KEUMANSHAH, 

from  Harounabad  all  the  way  to  this  place, 
on   his  account   alone.      Not  satisfied  with 
this,  he  had  this  monning    sought    out   his 
master  in  a  khan,  publicly  reproved  him  for 
his  cruelty  and  want  of  feeling,  purchased  a 
pair  of  shoes  for  the  lad  himself,   and  gave 
him  two  sequins  to  provide  against  any  simi- 
lar  abandonment.       He  had  been  hitherto 
faithful  in  all  his  transactions  with  me,  whe- 
ther it  regarded  his  word  or   the  unlimited 
use  of  my  purse,  and  I  believe  him  to  have 
been  sincere  in  his  expressions  of  gratitude 
for  my  consenting  to  take  him  with  me.     He 
had  brought  his   mother  to   Bagdad  in  her 
old   age,  and    supported  both   her   and  her 
widowed  sister  with  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren for  several  years,  always  leaving  with 
them  a  sufficient  sum   of  money   whenever 
he  quitted   that   place    on   an  excursion  of 
pleasure.      And  to    close   all,  he  was  appa- 
rently beloved  by  every  one  who  knew  him 
for  any  length    of  time,  which  a  man  can 
hardly  be  without  having  many  real  claims 
to   esteem.     In  Bagdad,  besides  the  gentle- 
men of  the  English  Residency,  who  thought 
highly  of  his  general  character,  and  those  of 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPANION.     l69 

his  other  friends  who  all  spoke  to  me  of  his 
intended  absence  with  regret,  there  was  not 
one  among  more  than  fifty  that  we  had  met 
to-day  who  did  not  salute  and  embrace  him 
warmly,  expressing  a  hope  that  he  was  come 
to  make  some  stay  among  them,  and  evin- 
cing great  disappointment,  and  even  sor- 
row, when  he  spoke  of  his  being  merely  the 
passenger  of  an  hour. 

When  evening  approached,  after  we  had 
passed  a  day  of  continued  entertainment, 
with  scarcely  any  other  intermission  than 
our  passage  from  one  house  to  another  in 
different  quarters  of  the  town,  we  supped  to- 
gether in  a  party  of  a  dozen  of  the  most  se- 
lect, at  the  house  of  a  new  settler  here  from 
Ispahan.  To  none  of  his  friends  had  Ismael 
disclosed  the  fact  of  my  being  an  English- 
man, so  that  I  still  passed  as  a  Soonnee  Mos- 
lem of  Cairo,  from  the  Hadj.  When  the 
reasons  of  my  journeying  this  way  were  de- 
manded, it  was  answered  by  Ismael,  that  my 
sister  was  the  wife  of  Ghalib,  the  former 
Shereef  of  Mecca,  whom  Mohammed  Ali 
Pasha  had  displaced,  and  that  some  of  her 
money  having  been  lent  to  Persian  pilgrims 


170  VISITS   AT    KERMANSHAH, 

of  distinction,  whose  funds  had  fallen  short 
during  their  long  journey  and  stay  at  Mecca, 
I  was  going  into  Persia  to  collect  this,  but 
wished  to  pass  uninterrupted  and  without 
parade.  The  Dervish  then  added,  that  there 
being  none  among  my  own  servants  who 
had  been  in  the  country  before,  he  had  ad- 
vised me  to  leave  them  at  Bagdad,  and  had 
himself  engaged  to  be  my  conductor,  inter- 
preter, and  slave.  All  this  was  readily  be- 
lieved, but  some  scruples  were  entertained 
as  to  the  rigour  of  my  practice  in  abstaining 
from  forbidden  things.  '  What !'  said  the 
Dervish,  '  do  you  think  then,  while  the  Cadi 
of  Stamboul,  and  half  the  MoUahs  of  that 
City  of  the  Faithful,  drink  wine,  as  it  is  re- 
ported, until  they  cannot  distinguish  their 
daylight  from  their  sunset  prayers,  that 
a  Hadjee  Massri,  an  Egyptian  pilgrim,  a 
relation  of  the  Shereef  of  Mecca,  would  be 
shocked  at  it?'  I  gave  my  assent  to  the 
general  observation  that  such  prohibitions 
were  intended  for  the  ignorant  (from  whom 
the  pride  of  every  man  triumphantly  excepts 
himself)  ;  and,  as  it  was  tacitly  acknowledg- 
ed that  none  of  us  were  of  that  number,  we 


TO    THE    FRIENDS    OF    MY    COMPxVNION.     171 

drank  deeply  of  the  golden  wine  of  Shirauz, 
which  Hafiz  and  Saadi  have  so  eloquently 
praised,  and  Gibbon  so  justly  asserted  to  have 
triumphed  in  every  age  over  the  forbidding 
precepts  of  Mohammed. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH,    ONE    OF    THE 
FRONTIER    TOWNS    OF    PERSIA. 

Sept.  16. — On  my  leaving  Bagdad,  Mr. 
Rich  had  furnished  me  with  a  letter  to  the 
Shah  Zade,  the  King  of  Persia's  second  son, 
who  resides  at  Kermanshah,  as  well  as  other 
letters  to  persons  of  distinction  here  ;  but 
ajs  we  had  hitherto  found  it  unnecessary  to 
claim  the  protection  of  the  great,  we  thought 
it  best  not  to  force  ourselves  on  their  notice 
by  the  presentation  of  such  letters,  and  ac- 
cordingly avoided  it. 

As  there  was  yet  no  caravan  moving 
either  for  Hamadan  or  Ispahan,  we  devoted 
the  day  to  completing  our  examination  of 
the  town,  and  closed  it  in  a  party  in  one 
of  the  best   baths  of  the   place, — said  our 


CHAPTER  VI. 


INTERIOR  OF  PERSIAN  BATH  AT  KERM^NSHAH. 


Published  bj  Henry  Colburn,  «  New  Burlington  Street-    Jan.  1, 1829. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH.  173 

evening  prayers  in  the  Great  Mosque,  and 
returned  to  the  khan  at  an  early  hour. 

Here,  as  I  had  hitherto  found  but  little 
leisure,  or  privacy,  since  our  arrival  at  Ker- 
manshah,  I  sat  up,  by  the  light  of  a  dim  lamp, 
with  the  door  closed  on  my  small  chamber, 
and  employed  myself  in  noting  down  the  in- 
cidents of  our  stay  in  this  place,  and  the  im- 
pressions to  which  they  had  given  rise,  with 
the  following  sketch  of  Kermanshah  itself. 

This  town  is  seated  on  three  or  four  gentle 
hills,  at  the  foot  of  a  range,  which  is  passed 
on  approaching  it  from  the  west ;  so  that  it 
contains  within  its  walls  some  slight  and 
other  steep  ascents,  with  eminences  of  dif- 
ferent heights,  and  their  corresponding  val- 
leys. It  is  said  to  have  been  founded  by 
Baharem  the  Fourth,  the  brother  and  suc- 
cessor of  the  famous  embryo  King  Shapoor, 
who  was  himself  called  Kermanshah,  from 
having  filled  the  station  of  Governor  of  the 
city  of  Kerman. 

To  the  north  and  the  east  it  has  before 
it  a  beautiful  and  extensive  plain,  at  the  en- 
trance of  which  it  may  be  said  to  stand. 
The  boundaries  of  this  on  the  north  are,  the 
high  range  of  mountains  called  Kooh  Tank- 


174  DESCRIPTION    QF    KERMANSHAH, 

e-Bostan,  including  in  it  the  peculiar  masses 
of  Kooh  Parow  and  Kooh  Bisitoon.  On  the 
south  it  is  closed  by  the  range  of  Kooh  Seeah, 
both  of  these  ranges  going  in  nearly  a  north- 
west and  south-east  direction.  Between  these 
the  plain  extends  for  about  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles  in  length,  and  from  five  to  eight  in  its 
greatest  breadth. 

The  form  of  Kermanshah  is  irregular,  ap- 
proaching nearest  to  a  circular  outline,  of 
about  three  miles  in  circumference.  The 
wall  which  surrounds  it  is  flanked  with  cir- 
cular bastions,  at  stated  distances,  turreted, 
and  pierced  with  loop-holes  and  ports  for 
cannon ;  but  it  is  without  a  ditch,  is  built 
chiefly  of  sun-dried  bricks,  and  has  at  present 
no  ordnance  mounted  on  any  part  of  it. 

There  are  five  gates.  The  one  on  the  west 
is  called  Durwaze  Kubber  Aga,  from  a  pretty 
little  tomb  of  an  Aga  there,  with  a  flower- 
garden  before  it.  The  one  on  the  north- 
west is  called  Durwaze  Nedjef  Asheref, 
meaning  the  gate  at  which  a  Saint  dried  up 
the  sea.  The  story  connected  with  the  name 
is  this.  In  the  time  of  the  Imaum  Ali,  there 
was  a  large  lake  here,  by  the  side  of  which  a 
poor  man  was  sitting,  shaving  the  hairs  from 


ONE    OF    THE    FRONTIER    TOWNS   OF    PERSIA.   175 

off  his  legs  and  body,  when  his  razor  and 
stone  fell  into  the  water.  The  Imaum 
coming  by  at  the  time,  and  witnessing  his 
distress,  enquired  into  the  cause  of  it,  and 
finding  that  the  Faqueer  was  a  holy  man, 
ordered  the  lake  to  be  dried  up,  which  it  in- 
stantly became  at  his  word,  restored  the  man 
his  razor,  and  has  remained  dry  land  ever 
since.  This  fact  is  believed  here  with  all 
proper  respect ;  and  from  its  being  one  of 
comparatively  recent  date  to  that  of  Moses 
drying  up  the  Red  Sea,  it  is  thought  fit 
by  these  superstitious  Mohammedans  to  be 
placed  beside  it  in  the  Chronicles  of  Truth, 
and  is  triumphantly  cited  to  prove  that  their 
favourite  Imaum  was  equal  to  Moses  at  least. 
The  third  gate,  on  the  north,  is  called  Dur- 
waze  Shereef  Abat,  from  some  person  of  that 
name,  who  probably  built  it.  The  fourth, 
on  the  north-east,  is  called  Durwaze  Tauk-e- 
Bostan,  from  its  leading  to  the  arched  cave 
in  the  mountain  ; — and  the  last,  on  the  south- 
east, is  named  Durwaze  Ispahan,  from  the 
high  road  to  that  city  leading  from  it. 

Not  half  a  century  ago,  Kermanshah  was 
but  a  large  village,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
subsisted  chiefly  by  their  agricultural  labours 


176  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

in  their  own  plain,  and  by  the  feeding  of 
their  cattle  on  the  fine  pastures  of  the  Ma- 
hee-Dusht.  As  a  frontier  town  in  the  west 
was  wanting,  however,  to  oppose  to  the  Pasha 
of  Bagdad,  in  the  event  of  war  between  Tur- 
key and  Persia,  as  well  as  for  the  more  effec- 
tual government  of  the  western  provinces  of 
Shooster,  Lauristan,  and  the  parts  of  Koor- 
distan  subject  to  the  Persian  power,  Ker- 
manshah  was  fixed  on  to  become  the  future 
residence  of  one  of  the  King  of  Persia's  sons. 
Since  that  period  the  town  has  gradually 
increased  in  size,  in  population,  and  in  afflu- 
ence, and  goes  on  still  augmenting  its  num- 
bers. During  the  visit  of  Mr.  Rosseau,  the 
French  Consul  General  of  Bagdad  to  this 
place,  in  1807,  he  estimated  the  number  of 
its  inhabitants  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  thou- 
sand ^  At  this  moment,  however,  it  certainly 
contains  thirty  thousand  ;  and  from  all  that 
I  observed  of  the  space  covered  by  houses, 
and  the  manner  in  which  they  were  occu- 
pied, I  thought  the  number  of  people  here 
at  least  equal  to  the  half  of  those  at  Bag- 
dad, which  would  make  the  estimate  still 
higher. 

*  Vide  "  Mines  de  TOrient,"  tome  3,  p.  85. 


ONE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.  177 

Of  these  inhabitants,  the  great  mass  are 
Mohammedans  of  the  Sheeah  sect,  the  rest 
being  made  up  of  about  twenty  Soonnee  fa- 
milies, settlers  from  Turkey,  a  hundred  Jews, 
only  one  Christian  of  any  kind,  who  is  Yusef 
Khan,  a  Russian,  and  now  Topjee  Bashi  or 
chief  of  artillery,  of  the  Shah  Zade,  some 
few  Koord  residents,  and  many  Georgian 
slaves,  chiefly  females.  The  only  Arabs  here 
are  merely  sojourners.  Armenians  there  are 
none,  either  as  passengers  or  residents ;  and 
of  Guebres  or  fire-worshippers,  the  old  fol- 
lowers of  Zoroaster,  as  far  as  I  could  learn, 
there  have  never  been  any  resident  here.  The 
three  last  were  enumerated,  however,  among 
the  population  of  the  place,  by  Mr.  Ros- 
seau.  If  such  persons  were  here  at  the  time 
he  wrote,  it  could  only  be  in  the  way  that 
Mr.  Rosseau  and  ourselves  were,  as  sojourn- 
ers or  travellers :  yet  no  one  in  describing 
the  state  of  Kermanshah  at  either  of  those 
periods  would  reckon  among  its  population 
either  Frenchmen,  Englishmen,  or  Affghans. 
*  The  government  of  the  Shah  Zade  extends 
northward  into  Koordistan,  southward  to 
Shooster  and  the  sea  coast  of  Khusistan,  west- 
ward to  the  Tauk  or  pass  of  Mount  Zagrosj 

vol..   I.  N 


178  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

and  eastward  to  the  town  of  Hamadan.  Over 
these  provinces  the  Prince  exercises  sovereign 
authority,  without  reference  to  his  father,  and 
he  is  thought  by  many  to  be  the  most  pow- 
erful of  all  the  governors  in  the  empire,  not 
excepting  the  Shah  himself.  The  present 
Prince  is  the  eldest  son  of  the  reigning  So- 
vereign, by  a  Georgian  mother.  He  is  about 
eighteen  years  of  age,  and  is  conceived  to  owe 
all  the  greatness  of  his  influence  to  the  firm- 
ness of  his  general  conduct,  and  his  personal 
superintendance  of  public  business,  a  duty 
which  is  said  to  be  neglected  by  his  brothers. 
His  sway  is  called  a  mild  one,  though,  but 
on  the  evening  of  yesterday,  two  men  were, 
by  his  order,  blown  off  from  the  cannon's 
mouth  for  some  trifling  offence,  which  would 
not  have  incurred,  even  in  Turkey,  a  higher 
punishment  than  the  bastinado.  He  is,  how- 
ever, a  great  speculator  and  trader,  and  en- 
courages commerce  in  others,  as  far  as  such 
a  disposition  in  himself  will  admit  of  it  with- 
out thwarting  his  own  personal  interests. 

Being  in  a  manner  the  founder  of  the  town 
in  its  present  state  of  opulence  (for  before  his 
reign  its  improvement  was  very  inconsider- 
able), he  takes  a  pride  in  embellishing  it  by 


ONE    OF    THE    FRONTIER    TOWNS    OF    PERSIA.  179 

public  works ;  and  this,  as  it  adds  much  to 
the  comfort  as  well  as  attractions  of  the 
town,  ensures  him  the  praise  of  all  parties. 
A  large  palace  near  the  centre  of  the  city, 
for  himself,  a  country  house  surrounded  by 
gardens  for  his  harem,  and  a  spacious  mosque 
near  his  own  residence  for  the  public  use,  have 
been  built  from  his  own  funds,  without  any 
extraordinary  contributions.  The  whole  range 
of  streets,  bazars,  caravanserais,  baths,  &c. 
which  are  now  erecting,  are,  however,  build- 
ing from  advances  of  their  future  occupiers, 
in  loans  to  the  Prince,  on  the  faith  of  his 
promise,  that  the  sums  shall  be  accounted 
for  in  their  annual  rents.  The  Prince  is 
therefore  the  great  owner  of  the  land,  and 
of  the  buildings ;  and  as  his  will  is  law,  the 
rents  will  no  doubt  be  so  regulated,  as  to  re- 
turn him  an  enormous  profit,  in  which  case, 
instead  of  a  munificent  adorner  of  a  city  of 
his  own  founding,  he  can  be  regarded  only 
as  a  monied  speculator  in  possession  of  an 
unrestrained  monopoly. 

The  force  of  the  city  is  not  at  all  equal  to 
its  real  importance,  as  the  western  frontier 
town  of  an  extensive  kingdom.  It  had  not, 
as  far  as  I  could  perceive,  at  present,  a  single 

N    2 


180  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

cannon  mounted  on  its  walls.     Several  fine 
long  brass  pieces,   of  Persian    foundry,  and 
apparently  very  old,  were  lying  about  on  the 
ground  before  the  Prince's   palace,    and  in 
another    public  square ;    and  there    was  in 
his  service  a  Russian  Topjee  Bashi,  or  chief 
of  the  cannoneers,   so  that  when   the  more 
profitable  improvements  of  building  are  ter- 
minated, that  of  fortification  may  perhaps  be 
better  attended  to.    The  whole  military  esta- 
blishment of  the  Shah  Zade  is  estimated  to 
consist  of  about  five  hundred  horse  and  a 
thousand  foot.     Like  the  soldiers  of  Turkey, 
these  are  required  to  arm  and  clothe  them- 
selves out  of  their  pay,  are  totally  without 
any  distinguishing  uniform,  and  as  undisci- 
plined as  an  enemy  could  wish.     These  few 
troops  are  thought  sufficient  for  the  main- 
tenance of  public  order  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  town,  and  for  the  regular  guard  of  the 
Prince's  person.     All  else  would  be  super- 
fluous, in  his  estimation,  since  the  governor 
of  every  province  under  the  Shah  Zade  must, 
over  and  above    the   yearly  tribute  to   the 
Prince's  treasury,  provide  troops  for  the  de- 
fence of  his  own  district,  out  of  the  contribu- 
tions which  he  is  authorized  to  levy  at  will 


ONE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.    181 

on  the  people  subject  to  his  immediate  con- 
trol. To  keep  up  a  large  army,  or  to  train 
and  discipline  the  small  one  really  embodied 
in  time  of  peace  for  more  prompt  and  effec- 
tual service  in  war,  would  not  enter  into  the 
conception  of  those  who  look  on  the  duration 
of  both  the  one  and  the  other  to  be  de- 
pendant on  the  will  of  God  alone,  and  totally 
exempt  from  human  control. 

The  details  of  the  Government  are  nearly 
the  same  here  as  in  the  great  towns  of  its 
sister  kingdom,  Turkey  :  personal  favour  and 
bribery  are  always  of  avail,  and  corruption 
exists  in  every  office  and  department  of  the 
State.  Notwithstanding  this,  however,  the 
people  appear  to  be  happy,  and  are  firmly 
convinced  that  no  country  can  be  equal  to 
their  own.  Their  climate,  their  water,  and 
the  productions  of  their  soil,  are  justly 
praised ;  though  even  from  these  they  do 
not  derive  half  the  enjoyment  they  are  ca- 
pable of  affording,  from  want  of  the  neces- 
sary knowledge  how  to  employ  them  to  the 
best  advantage.  But,  because  the  signal 
drum  is  beat  three  times  after  sunset,  at  the 
last  sound  of  which  the  streets  must  be  clear- 
ed of  every  individual  on  pain  of  death,  they 


182  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

think  their  Government  the  best  that  pos- 
sibly can  be,  and  would  certainly  treat  any 
man  as  an  idiot  or  a  madman  who  should 
suggest  even  the  notion  of  a  reform. 

Among  the  public  buildings  of  the  town, 
the  Shah  Zade's  palace  is  by  far  the  largest, 
occupying  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
circuit.  The  principal  front  opens  to  the 
south-east,  into  a  large  square  called  the 
Maidan,  a  place  of  exercise  for  horses.  This 
square  is  surrounded  by  shops  and  stalls  in 
recesses  like  those  of  a  large  khan ;  and 
having  passages  of  communication  to  most  of 
the  principal  bazars  in  the  different  quarters 
of  the  town,  it  is  generally  crowded  with 
people. 

The  front  of  the  palace  towards  this  square 
is  abQVit  a  thousand  feet  in  length,  and  the 
ascent  to  its  centre  is  by  an  inclined  plane, 
sufficiently  steep  for  steps,  but  having  none, 
in  order  that  it  may  the  better  admit  the 
passage  of  horses.  Leading  off  from  the  top 
of  this  ascent  are  two  long  causeways  or  gal- 
leries, going  all  along  the  front  of  the  build- 
ing, at  the  height  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet 
from  the  level  of  the  square  below.      The 


ONE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.    183 

whole  of  the  front  is  a  plain  brick  wall,  ex- 
cepting only  the  centre,  where  two  or  three 
stories  rise  over  the  door  of  entrance.  The 
door  is  in  the  Arabian  style  of  architecture, 
corrupted  by  modern  taste,  and  above  it,  on 
two  large  pannels,  are  represented  the  ex- 
ploits of  Rustan,  the  Hercules  of  the  Per- 
sians, in  figures  boldly  drawn  and  gaudily 
coloured.  Above  this  is  the  public  divan, 
which  has  an  open  balcony  looking  out  on 
the  square,  and  from  which  the  view  of  the 
town  and  the  country  must  be  commanding 
and  agreeable.  Here  the  Shah  Zade  sits  for 
an  hour  or  two  early  in  the  day  to  transact 
public  business  and  receive  visits  ;  but  as  the 
sun  shines  strongly  on  it  at  that  period,  it  is 
then  always  covered  by  a  perpendicular  awn- 
ing, or  curtain,  of  canvass,  painted  in  gay 
colours  and  fanciful  designs. 

The  interior  of  the  palace  is  laid  out  for 
domestic  convenience,  and  streams  of  water 
flow  through  the  gardens,  from  amidst  which 
rises  a  polygonal  kiosque,  of  the  form  of  the 
stools  on  which  the  salver  is  placed  at  the 
meals  of  the  Turks,  and  totally  devoid  of 
dignity,  which  must  be  imputed  to  the  bad 


184  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

taste  of  the  architect,  since  the  dome,  which 
is  appropriate  to  the  order,  might  have  been 
so  well  placed  in  its  stead. 

The  Harem  or  Seraglio  of  the  Prince  is 
seated  on  a  hill  at  some  distance  from  his 
palace,  surrounded  by  gardens.  It  stands, 
however,  within  the  walls  of  the  town,  and 
is  said  to  enjoy  the  most  delicious  air  that 
mortal  can  breathe.  His  establishment  of 
wives  is  com,plete  ;  but  besides  these  he  has 
several  Georgian  slaves,  of  the  greatest  beauty 
that  could  be  procured  for  money.  In  these 
and  in  his  Turkoman  horses,  his  chief  plea- 
sure is  said  to  exist ;  but  the  horses,  though 
praised  as  finer  than  any  of  the  king's  stud, 
he  seldom  or  never  mounts,  and  his  harem  he 
as  rarely  visits,  generally  sending  for  the 
wife  or  the  slave  whom  he  may  happen  most 
to  desire,  and  leaving  the  rest  to  nurse  his 
numerous  progeny,  and  divert  themselves  as 
well  as  they  can  within  latticed  windows, 
high  walls,  and  strong  bolts  and  bars,  vmder 
the  continual  espionage  of  the  severe  and 
unfeeling  eunuchs,  who  are  employed  as 
checks  upon  the  undue  liberty  of  royal  fa- 
vourites. 

There  are  only  four  mosques  in  the  whole 


ONE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.    185 

town  ;  and  three  of  these  are  smaller  than 
those  seen  in  the  poorest  villages  of  Egypt. 
The  largest,  however,  which  is  the  work  of  the 
Shah  Zade,  and  is  close  to  his  palace,  has  a 
very  spacious  court  attached  to  it,  which  of 
itself  conveys  an  air  of  grandeur,  particularly 
when  filled  by  devout  worshippers,  perform- 
ing their  ablutions  previous  to  prayer.  The 
interior  of  the  mosque  is  quite  plain,  showing 
only  a  large,  but  low  hall,  supported  by 
square  pillars  of  brick-work.  In  all  the 
towns,  indeed,  not  a  fine  dome  or  a  minaret 
of  any  kind  is  to  be  seen,  which  one  would 
scarcely  have  expected  among  a  people  who 
are  more  strict  in  their  devotions  than  their 
neighbours,  and  who  lavish  such  wealth  on 
the  tombs  of  their  venerated  Imaums. 

The  baths  are  of  a  superior  kind ;  there 
are  said  to  be  three  equal  to  the  one  we 
visited,  and  four  or  five  others  frequented 
only  by  the  poorer  classes.  The  first  of 
these,  which  was  not  far  from  the  palace,  was 
entered  by  a  porch,  extremely  clean,  and 
neatly  ornamented  by  painting  and  other  de- 
vices on  its  ceiling  and  walls.  This  remark- 
able contrast  to  the  low,  dark,  and  foul  pas- 
sages which  generally  lead  to  Turkish  baths, 


186  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

was  a  presage,  upon  the  very  threshold,  of 
greater  comfort  and  accommodation  within. 

When  we  reached  the  undressing-room, 
this  prepossession  was  still  further  strength- 
ened. Here  we  found  a  square  hall,  well 
lighted  from  above,  having  on  three  of  its 
sides  elevated  recesses  for  the  visitors,  and 
on  the  fourth,  the  passage  from  the  outer 
porch  to  the  hall,  and  from  this  to  the  inner 
bath,  having  on  each  side  shelves,  in  which 
were  arranged  the  clean  and  dirty  clothes, 
the  combs,  looking-glasses,  and  all  the  appa- 
ratus of  the  toilette,  under  the  immediate 
care  of  the  master  of  the  bath  himself.  At 
the  angles  of  these  raised  recesses,  and  di- 
viding their  lower  roof,  which  they  support- 
ed, from  the  higher  one  of  the  central  square, 
were  four  good  marble  pillars,  with  spirally 
fluted  shafts,  and  moulded  capitals,  perfectly 
uniform  in  size  and  design,  and  producing 
the  best  effect.  In  the  centre  of  the  square 
space,  which  these  marked  out,  and  on  a 
lower  floor,  was  a  large  marble  cistern  of  cold 
water;  and  at  each  end  of  this,  on  wooden 
stands,  like  those  used  in  our  arbours  and 
breakfast  rooms,  were  arranged  coloured  glass 


ONE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.  187 

jars,  with  flowers  of  various  kinds  in  them, 
well  watered  and  perfectly  fresh. 

The  walls  of  this  outer  hall  were  orna- 
mented all  around  by  designs  of  trees,  birds, 
and  beasts,  in  fanciful  forms,  executed  in 
white  upon  a  blue  ground,  and  though  pos- 
sessing nothing  worthy  of  admiration,  yet 
giving  an  air  of  finish,  of  neatness,  and  of 
cleanliness  to  the  whole,  in  which  the  baths 
of  Turkey  are  generally  so  deficient. 

We  undressed  here,  and  were  led  from 
hence  into  the  inner  bath,  where  all  was  still 
free  from  every  thing  offensive,  either  to  the 
sight  or  smell.  This  inner  room  was  ori- 
ginally an  oblong  space  of  about  fifty  feet  by 
twenty-five,  but  had  been  since  made  into 
two  square  divisions.  The  first,  or  outer 
one,  was  a  plain  paved  hall,  exactly  like  the 
undressing-room,  except  that  it  had  no  side 
recesses,  but  its  floor  was  level,  close  to  the 
walls.  There  were  here  also  four  pillars  ; 
but,  as  well  as  I  remember,  plain  ones ;  and 
in  the  square  space  which  they  enclosed  in 
the  centre  of  the  road  was  a  cistern  of  water 
as  in  the  outer  one.  It  was  on  the  floor  of 
this  that  the  visitors  lay,  to  be  washed  by 


188  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

the  attendants ;  for  there  were  no  raised 
seats  for  this  purpose  as  in  Turkish  baths, 
and  the  great  octagonal  one,  with  its  cold 
fountain,  the  sides  and  tops  of  which  are  or- 
namented with  mosaic  work  of  marble  in 
Turkey,  was  here  replaced  by  the  cistern 
described.  The  whole  of  this  room  was  des- 
titute of  ornament,  excepting  the  walls, 
which  were  similar  to  those  without.  The 
second  division,  to  which  this  led,  consisted 
of  three  parts  ;  the  central  one  was  a  large 
and  deep  bath,  filled  with  warm  water,  its 
bottom  being  level  with  the  lower  floor  of 
the  building,  and  the  ascent  to  it  being  by 
three  or  four  steep  steps.  On  each  side  of 
this  was  a  small  private  room,  with  a  cistern 
in  the  centre  of  each,  for  the  use  ofthose 
who  wished  to  be  served  with  peculiar  atten- 
tion. 

The  whole  was  as  neat  and  well  arranged 
as  could  be  desired,  and  as  clean  as  any  bath 
can  be  which  is  open  to  public  use.  But  as 
few  pleasures  are  entirely  perfect,  so  here, 
with  all  its  general  apparent  superiority  to 
the  baths  of  Turkey,  this  was  inferior  to 
them  in  the  most  essential  points.  The  at- 
tendants seemed  quite  ignorant  of  the  art  of 


ONE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.  189 

twisting  the  limbs,  moulding  the  muscles, 
cracking  the  joints,  opening  the  chest,  and 
all  that  delicious  train  of  operations  in  which 
the  Turks  are  so  skilful.  The  visitors  were 
merely  well  though  roughly  scrubbed,  and 
their  impurities  then  rinsed  off  in  the  large 
cistern  above,  from  which  there  was  neither 
a  running  stream  to  carry  off  the  foul  water, 
nor  cocks  of  hot  and  cold  to  renew  and  tem- 
per it  at  pleasure,  as  in  Turkey. 

In  place  of  the  luxurious  moulding  of  the 
muscles,  the  use  of  the  hair-bag,  or  glove,  for 
removing  the  dirt,  and  the  profusion  of  per- 
fumed soap,  with  which  the  Turks  end  a 
course  of  treatment  full  of  delight,  the  Per- 
sians are  occupied  in  staining  the  beard  and 
hair  black,  the  nails  of  the  toes  and  fingers 
of  a  deep  red,  and  the  whole  of  the  feet  and 
hands  of  a  yellow  colour,  by  different  pre- 
parations of  henna.  This  operation  is  the 
most  unpleasant  that  can  be  imagined.  The 
Persians  do  not  shave  the  whole  of  the  head, 
as  is  usual  with  most  of  the  Turks  and  Arabs, 
but,  taking  off  all  the  hair  from  the  fore- 
head, over  the  crown,  and  down  the  neck, 
for  about  a  hand's  breadth,  they  leave  on 
each  side  two  large  bushy  masses,  depend- 


190  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

ing  over  their  sHoulders.  These  are  almost 
as  full  in  some  individuals  as  the  apparent 
wigs  of  the  Sassanian  medals ;  and  in  others, 
they  are  sufficiently  long  and  large  to  meet 
and  cover  the  neck  behind,  which  would  de- 
ceive a  stranger  into  a  belief,  that  they  wore 
the  whole  of  their  hair,  without  either  cut- 
ting or  shaving  it.  This,  then,  with  a  very 
long  and  full  beard,  in  which  all  the  people 
here  take  pride,  is  plastered  with  a  thick 
paste,  of  the  consistence  of  hog's  lard,  and 
not  less  than  two  pounds  weight  of  which 
is  sometimes  used  on  one  person.  It  pos- 
sesses a  strongly  astringent  and  penetrating 
quality,  and  requires  great  skill  in  the  use 
of  it,  to  avoid  doing  considerable  mischief. 
As  the  eye-brows  are  plastered  with  it,  as 
well  as  the  rest  of  the  hair,  and  as  it  softens 
by  the  heat  of  the  room  and  of  the  body,  it 
frequently  steals  into  the  eyes,  and  produces 
great  pain.  The  mustachios  sometimes  give 
a  portion  of  this  paste  also  to  the  nostrils,  as 
well  as  to  the  mouth,  and  never  fail  to  yield 
a  most  unpleasant  odour  to  all  within  its 
reach.  The  patient  (as  he  may  well  be  call- 
ed) reclines  on  his  back,  naked,  and  on  the 
stone  floor,  with  his  eyes  and  mouth  com- 


ONE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.  191 

pletely  shut,  and  not  daring  to  breathe  with 
too  great  freedom.  He  remains  in  this  man- 
ner for  an  hour  or  two  at  a  time,  while  the 
operator  visits  him  at  intervals,  rubs  his  hair 
and  beard,  patches  up  the  paste  where  it  has 
dissolved  or  is  fallen  off,  and  lays  on  fresh 
coats  of  the  dye,  on  the  nails,  the  hands, 
and  the  feet.  Some  of  these  beard-plastered 
elders,  fresh  from  the  hands  of  their  atten- 
dants, look  oddly  enough,  with  different 
shades  of  red,  black,  and  grey  in  their  beards  ; 
for  it  takes  a  day  or  two,  according  to  the 
quality  of  the  hair,  to  produce  an  uniform 
blackness ;  and  this  requires  to  be  renewed 
every  week  at  least,  to  look  well,  as  the  roots 
of  the  hair  which  grow  out,  after  each  time 
of  staining,  are  either  brown  or  grey,  accord- 
ing to  the  age  of  the  wearer,  and  contrast  but 
badly  with  the  jet  black  of  the  other  parts. 

When  all  is  finished,  and  the  visitor  leaves 
the  inner  bath,  he  is  furnished  with  two  cloths 
only,  one  for  the  waist,  and  the  other  to  throw 
loosely  over  the  head  and  shoulders  :  he  then 
goes  into  the  outer  room  into  a  colder  air, 
thus  thinly  clad,  and  without  slippers  or  pat- 
tens ;  no  bed  is  prepared  for  him,  nor  is  he 
again  attended  to  by  any  one,  unless  he  de- 


192  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

mands  a  nargeel  to  smoke  ;  but,  most  gene- 
rally, he  dresses  himself  in  haste,  and  departs. 

The  Turkish  bath  is  far  more  capable  of 
affording  high  sensual  pleasure,  and  is  con- 
sequently visited  as  much  for  the  mere  de- 
light to  the  feelings  which  it  produces,  and 
to  lounge  away  an  agreeable  hour,  as  for  the 
performance  of  a  religious  duty ;  while  the 
Persian  bath  seems  altogether  resorted  to  for 
the  purpose  of  the  toilette,  as  one  would  sub- 
mit to  a  hair-dresser,  to  have  the  hair  cut, 
curled,  powdered,  and  set  in  order,  for  a 
party. 

The  bazars  have  been  already  described,  as 
far  at  least  as  they  can  be  in  their  present 
imperfect  state.  Such  of  the  few  as  are 
finished,  are  lofty,  wide,  and  well  lighted  and 
aired,  built  of  brick,  with  vaulted  domes, 
rising  in  succession  from  the  roof,  and  having 
ranges  of  shops,  about  twelve  feet  wide  in 
front,  divided  by  a  central  perpendicular  bar, 
and  closed  by  double  shutters.  The  benches 
before  these  are  built  of  stone,  are  conve- 
niently low  for  the  seating  of  passengers,  and 
the  shops  within  are  sufficiently  spacious  to 
contain  a  great  variety  of  merchandize,  and 
leave  ample  room  for  the  keepers  of  them. 


ONE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.     193 

a  guest,  and  an  assistant,  which  those  of  the 
best  bazars  in  Cairo  and  Damascus  do  not. 
Those  now  in  building  promise  to  be  as 
spacious  and  convenient  as  these  already 
finished ;  and  when  all  are  completed,  they 
will  add  much  to  the  fine  appearance  of  the 
town. 

Besides  the  manufactory  of  most  of  the  ar- 
ticles in  common  request  for  the  consumption 
of  the  town  and  its  immediate  neighbour- 
hood, there  are  made  here  muskets  and  pis- 
tols, of  a  good  quality,  and  in  sufficient  re- 
quest to  be  sent  to  different  parts  of  Persia- , 
The  Shah  Zade  has  a  foundry  for  brass  can- 
non, under  the  superintendance  of  the  Rus- 
sian Yusef  Khan,  his  Topjee  Bashi,  at  which 
he  intends  casting  all  the  ordnance  for  the 
city ;  and  some  coarse  gunpowder  is  also 
made  by  the  same  man.  Printed  cotton 
cloths  and  handkerchiefs  are  manufactured 
also  in  great  abundance,  and  carpets  are 
wrought  which  are  thought  to  be  equal  to 
any  produced  in  the  whole  empire.  These 
are  chiefly  the  work  of  females  of  distinction  ; 
since  to  spin,  to  sew,  and  to  embroider,  are 
the  chief  accomplishments  of  their  education. 
These  carpets  are  mostly  made  by  the  needle, 

vol..  I.  o 


194  DESCRIPTION    OF    KEllMANSHAH, 

with  coloured  worsteds,  on  a  woven  sub- 
stance, in  the  way  that  young  ladies  in  Eng- 
land, of  the  middling  ranks,  work  mats  for 
tea-urns.  These,  from  their  size  and  quality? 
sometimes  cost  fifty  tomans,  equal  to  as  many 
pounds  sterling  each,  though  there  are  others 
at  all  prices  below  this.  Others  again,  of  an 
inferior  quality,  are  altogether  woven  in  co- 
lours, and  sold  at  a  cheaper  rate,  these  being 
the  work  of  men.  There  are  no  large  manu- 
factories of  either,  however ;  as  both  are 
wrought  in  private  dwellings,  and  brought 
into  the  bazar,  when  finished,  for  sale. 

Every  species  of  provision  and  fruit  is 
excellent,  and  in  great  abundance.  Coffee- 
houses, there  are  absolutely  none ;  but  cook- 
shops,  fruit-stalls,  and  confectioners'  benches 
are  very  numerous,  and  in  these  may  be  had 
all  the  kinds  of  food  in  use  among  the  people. 
The  former  of  these  are  peculiarly  neat  and 
clean,  and  besides  the  kabobs,  or  sausages 
without  skins,  there  is  excellent  bread,  rice 
pilaus,  and  sometimes  stewed  dishes  to  be  had, 
so  that  by  far  the  greater  number  of  people 
stationed  in  the  work-shops  and  bazars,  send 
thither  for  the  portion  of  food  they  may  re- 
quire for  their  meals,  as  it  is  not  customary. 


ONE  OF  THE  FIIONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.    195 

as  with  us,  to  eat  at  the  house  where  the 
food  is  prepared. 

Among  the  fruits,  after  those  of  the  melon 
kind,  grapes,  peaches,  and  apples  are  most 
abundant:  pears  and  plums  are  also  seen, 
but  more  rarely  ;  and  all  of  these,  with  every 
species  of  vegetable  common  to  the  country, 
are  good  in  their  kinds,  and  kept  and  served 
with  great  cleanliness  and  care.^ 

In  the  confectioners'  shops  are  sweet  cakes 
of  different  sorts,  small  loaves,  and  sugar  re- 
fined in  the  town,  almonds  and  other  comfits 
arranged  in  glass  jars,  and  sweet  drinks  pre- 
pared in  large  copper  and  brazen  vessels, 
covered  with  engraved  devices  and  inscrip- 
tions. 

Mutton  is  the  meat  most  used,  as  goats' 

*  The  extent  of  the  Persian  dominions  may  be  divided  into 
three  parts,  according  to  the  situation  and  climate.  The  south- 
ern part,  bordering  upon  the  Persian  Gulf,  is  sandy  and  barren, 
and  parched  with  heat.  The  middle  part,  lying  more  north- 
erly, under  a  temperate  climate,  abounds  in  corn  and  grass, 
with  many  well-watered  and  spacious  plains,  as  well  as  vine^ 
yards  and  gardens,  furnished  with  trees  bearing  all  sorts  of 
fruits,  except  olives.  Their  gardens  are  delightful ;  their  rivers 
and  streams  cool  and  limpid,  and  plentifully  stored  with  all 
sorts  of  water-fowl.  It  has  also  extensive  pastures  for  cattle, 
and  woodlands  for  hunting.  The  northernmost  division  is  cold 
and  barren,  and  often  covered  with  snow.- — Arrian  Ind.  Hist. 
c.  40. 

o  2 


196  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

flesh  is  eaten  by  the  very  poorest  of  the 
people  only,  and  beef  is  rarely  seen.  The 
sheep  are  large  and  fat,  and  the  butchers  are 
clean  in  the  manner  of  serving  and  dressing 
them,  though,  from  the  very  different  modes 
of  preparing  dishes  here  and  in  Europe,  no 
comparison  can  be  well  made  in  the  quality 
or  flavour  of  animal  food,  when  cooked. 

The  dresses  of  the  people  are  plain  and 
grave,  particularly  after  the  gay  varieties  of 
Turkish  towns.  The  men  all  wear  a  high 
cap  of  black  curly  fur,  generally  of  sheep  and 
lamb's-skin,  of  different  qualities.  The  tight- 
ness of  their  dress  about  the  body  and  arms, 
and  its  looseness  below,  for  sitting  cross-legged 
and  kneeling,  do  not  harmonize  together. 
The  long  slender  locks  of  hair,  hanging  be- 
hind over  their  necks,  give  an  air  of  boyish- 
ness to  some,  and  the  thick  bushy  masses  of 
a  stifFer  kind  an  aspect  of  ferocity  to  others  ; 
while  the  sameness  of  colour  in  their  dresses, 
which  are  either  of  a  dull  green  or  blue, 
with  the  absence  of  rich  shawls,  bright  shal- 
loons, gilded  and  silver  arms,  &c.  make  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  look  much  inferior 
to  the  strangers  there. 

The  Koordish  peasants  have  conical  caps. 


ONE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.    197 

and  short  jackets  of  thick  white  woollen. 
The  Arabs  are  mostly  from  Bagdad,  and 
dress  as  they  do  there.  The  Shooster  people 
wear  turbans  formed  of  a  brown  cotton 
shawl,  crossed  with  white,  and  amply  folded 
round  the  head,  while  one  end  is  suffered  to 
hang  loosely  behind,  something  like  the  white 
turban  of  the  Arabs  of  Yemen.  The  Persian 
women,  of  whom  we  saw  remarkably  few, 
were  all  closely  veiled  by  a  white  doth,  tied 
over  the  forehead  and  hanging  low  down  on 
the  breast,  with  a  grating  work  of  hollow 
thread  before  the  eyes,  and  the  great  outer 
cloth  or  scarf,  of  checked  blue  cotton,  as  in 
Egypt. 

The  people  on  the  whole,  however,  seemed 
to  be  exceedingly  polite  among  themselves, 
and  courteous  towards  strangers,  ingenious  in 
the  exercise  of  their  respective  trades,  quick 
of  apprehension,  full  of  industry,  and  intent 
on  their  respective  affairs  of  business. 

Sept.  17th. — We  were  occupied  during  the 
first  hours  of  the  morning  in  preparation  for 
departure  from  Kermanshah  by  such  occa- 
sion as  might  offer.  One  of  my  horses,  pur- 
chased at  Bagdad,  having  broken  out  all  over 
his  body  with  sores,  so  that  he  could  neither 


198  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

be  saddled,  nor  mounted  bare,  it  became  ne- 
cessary to  part  with  it,  if  possible,  and  look 
out  for  another.  We  accordingly  led  it  to 
the  Maidan,  or  place  of  the  horse-market, 
without  the  walls,  on  the  north  of  the  town, 
where,  though  we  found  many  seeking  for 
horses,  we  could  find  no  one  who  would  pur- 
chase or  barter  for  this,  and  were  accordingly 
obliged  to  buy  another. 

The  horses  we  saw  here,  except  our  own, 
were  all  Persian.  These  are  larger  and  per- 
haps stronger  than  the  Arab  race,  but  are  ex- 
tremely inferior  in  beauty,  and  are  said  to 
be  so  in  speed,  and  in  capacity  of  sustaining 
the  privations  of  food  and  water.  The  Per- 
sians indeed,  as  far  as  I  had  seen  of  them, 
did  not  appear  to  take  as  much  pleasure  in 
horses  as  the  Arabs  or  Turks.  They  are  less 
masterly  and  less  graceful  riders ;  and  their 
mountings  or  trappings,  while  no  more  fitted 
for  the  comfort  of  the  horse,  by  lightness  and 
adaptation  to  its  form,  than  either  of  these, 
are  much  inferior,  in  richness  of  ornament 
and  general  appearance,  to  both. 

To  leave  my  diseased  horse  at  this  place, 
seemed  an  abandonment  of  what  had  cost 
me  dearly,  and  what  might  perhaps  recover ; 


ONE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.  199 

while,  if  we  took  it  with  us,  an  extra  atten- 
dant would  be  absolutely  necessary,  since  all 
the  other  duties  of  the  road,  which  had  now 
completely  devolved  on  myself,  were  already 
more  than  sufficient.  It  was  therefore  de- 
termined that  we  should  seek  for  such  a  per- 
son; and  this  was  no  sooner  suggested,  than 
the  Dervish  Ismael  had  one  immediately 
ready  to  my  hand.  A  Faqueer  of  Ispahan, 
who  had  come  with  us  from  Kerrund  to  Ker- 
manshah,  had  supped  from  our  bread  and 
fruit,  and  smoked  his  evening  nargeel  with 
the  Dervish  after  I  was  asleep,  was  recom- 
mended as  the  most  proper  person  I  could 
add  to  our  party,  as  he  was  ready  and  will- 
ing to  undertake  any  duty  that  might  be 
required  of  him.  "  But,"  said  I,  "  does  he 
understand  the  duties  of  a  groom  ?  or  do 
you  know  any  thing  of  his  character  ?"  "  Oh," 
replied  Ismael,  "  a  Faqueer  understands  every 
thing;  and  as  for  his  character,  I  am  sure 
that  his  heart  is  pure,  and  his  tongue  is 
clean."  "  How  then  ?"  I  asked  :  "  was  there 
any  previous  acquaintance,  or  the  testimony 
of  any  friend  who  had  known  the  man?" 
"  Not  at  all,"  was  the  reply ;  and  after  much 
hesitation — not  of  fear,  but  seemingly  of  un- 


200  DESCRIPTION    OF    KERMANSHAH, 

willingness  to  clear  up  any  doubt  for  which 
he  thought  there  was  no  just  foundation — 
this  explanation  at  length  came  :  "  He  is  not 
a  Philosopher,  emphatically  one  of  us,''  said 
Ismael,  (meaning  the  "  Mutuffuk  b'el  Philo- 
sopheea"  at  Bagdad,)  "  it  is  true  ;  but  the  man 
has  loved  the  wife  of  another,  for  whom  he 
has  wept  by  day,  and  chased  away  his  sor- 
rows by  smoking  bhang  (an  intoxicating 
drug)  at  night !"  It  was  in  vain  that  I  ob- 
jected to  these  two  excellent  qualities,  as 
certain  pledges  of  his  neglecting  the  duties 
I  wished  him  to  perform  on  the  way.  "  The 
man's  heart  must  be  upright,"  said  my  com- 
panion, "  because  it  is  tender  ;  and  free  from 
all  guile,  because  he  intoxicates  himself  with 
opium!"  The  fact  seemed  to  be  that  my 
Dervish  wished  to  secure,  on  any  terms,  some 
one  who  would  do  such  things  as  we  needed, 
provided  he  was  not  too  rigid  a  Moslem  to 
betray  our  laxity,  or  abandon  us  from  being 
shocked  at  it.  I  reasoned,  persisted,  refused, 
and  pretended  an  anger  which  I  really  did 
not  feel.  All  was  in  vain,  the  die  was  cast, 
and  Zein-El-Abedeen,  the  bhang-smoking 
Faqueer,  was  regularly  invested  with  the 
care  of  the  diseased  horse,  and  admitted  as 


ONE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  TOWNS  OF  PERSIA.  SOI 

one  of  our  party,  beyond  the  possibility  of 
revocation. 

We  now  heard  of  four  or  five  horsemen 
going  off  to  Hamadan  on  the  morrow ;  and 
as  this  seemed  the  best  occasion  by  which  we 
could  profit,  we  sought  them  out,  and  agreed 
to  accompany  them ;  of  which  they  were  as 
glad  as  ourselves.  In  the  mean  time,  as  a 
good  portion  of  the  day  yet  remained  to  us, 
I  determined  to  employ  it  in  a  visit  to  the 
antiquities  of  Tauk-e-Bostan,  which  I  had 
been  hitherto  too  much  occupied  in  the  town 
even  to  enquire  after. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

VISIT    TO     THE    ANTIQUITIES     OF      TAUK-E- 
BOSTAN. 

We  left  the  town  of  Kermanshah  by  the 
Ispahan  gate,  close  to  which  our  caravanserai 
was  situated,  about  an  hour  before  noon  ;  and 
turning  round  to  the  northward  by  the  city 
wall,  we  came  into  the  high  road  leading  out 
to  the  Tauk.  The  road  led  first  between 
vineyards  and  gardens  on  each  side,  and  then 
opened  on  the  plain,  going  in  a  north-east  di- 
rection. In  our  way  we  passed  several  vil- 
lages on  our  right  and  left,  peopled  entirely 
by  Koords ;  from  one  of  these  came  out  two 
young  and  gaily  dressed  Persian  girls  to  in- 
vite us  into  their  dwellings, — and  they  were 
at  once  so  pretty  and  so  willingly  polite,  that 


CHAPTER  VII. 


ARCH   OF  THE  GARDEN,  OR  TAUK-E-BOSTAN. 


PuUllshed  by  Henry  Colburn,  8  New  Burlington  Street.     Jan.  1, 1829. 


VISIT    TO    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  203 

it  required  no  common  effort  to  decline  their 
invitations. 

My  Dervish,  who  was  yet  young  and  hand- 
some, being  not  more  than  five-and-twenty, 
with  regular  features,  white  teeth,  large  black 
eyes,  an  Indian  brown  complexion,  and  silky 
beard,  seemed  particularly  to  have  smitten 
both  of  these  ladies, — and  the  feeling  on  his 
part  was  perfectly  reciprocal.  His  counte- 
nance brightened  up  with  fresh  animation, 
and  his  eyes  flashed  fire  during  the  short 
interview  which  I  permitted,  as  we  checked 
the  reins  of  our  horses  to  listen  to  their  dis- 
course. I  was  cruel  enough,  however,  to 
interrupt  this  scene,  by  setting  off  on  a  full 
gallop,  beckoning  to  Ismael  to  follow  me. 
When  the  Dervish  overtook  me,  as  I  halted 
for  him  to  come  up,  there  was  a  mixture  of 
surprise  and  anger  in  his  look,  as  he  asked 
me  why  I  had  so  hastily  torn  myself  away 
from  the  fairest  occasion  of  passing  a  happy 
day  that  had  yet  offered  itself  to  us  since 
we  had  been  together  ?  I  endeavoured  to  ex- 
plain this,  as  we  continued  to  ride  along,  by 
saying  that  as  we  were  to  depart  from  hence 
to-morrow,  there  would  be  no  possibility  of 
my  seeing  the  Caves,  if  to-day  were  wasted 


Q04  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

in  pleasure ;  and  that,  as  I  should  probably 
be  near  these  antiquities  but  once  in  my  life, 
I  should  often  regret  in  future  my  neglect 
of  that  occasion  to  examine  them,  since  they 
were  among  the  works  of  early  ages  which 
deeply  interested  both  myself  and  my  friends. 
The  Dervish  drew  up  the  bridle  of  my 
horse,  and  turned  himself  round  towards  me 
on  his  saddle,  as  if  to  assure  himself  that 
these  were  really  and  truly  my  reasons,  and 
that  it  was  I  and  not  another  who  assigned 
them.  When  I  repeated  that  I  was  in  ear- 
nest, he  eyed  me  with  a  look  which,  though 
in  some  degree  tempered  by  respect,  was  yet 
full  of  pity  and  disappointment,  with  per- 
haps a  portion  of  contempt.  "  And  is  it 
possible,"  he  exclaimed,  "  that  you  can  be 
learned  in  philosophy,  or  in  any  way  at  all 
a  lover  of  wisdom  ?  You  have  yet  to  read 
Hafiz  and  Saadi,  and  Meznouvee,  and  Mun- 
tukketeer, — who  would  all  say  to  you,  '  What 
are  the  works  of  the  past  or  the  hopes  of  the 
future,  compared  with  the  more  certain  and 
far  more  important  enjoyment  of  the  pre- 
sent ?' "  It  was  plain  indeed,  in  all  he  said 
or  did,  that  the  philosophy  of  the  Dervish 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  205 

and  his  school  was  entirely  comprised  in  that 
verse  of  Moore's  : 

'*  Pleasure,  thou  only  good  on  earth ! 

One  little  hour  resign'd  to  thee. 
Oh  !  by  my  Lais*  lip,  'tis  worth 

A  sage's  immortality." 

Our  conference  ended,  however,  in  his  yield- 
ing to  my  wishes  ;  and  we  accordingly  left 
the  ladies  to  other  visitors,  and  pursued  our 
journey,  though  for  an  hour  at  least  in  un- 
broken silence. 

In  less  than  an  hour  after  our  leaving  the 
walls  of  Kermanshah  we  came  to  the  stream 
of  the  Kara  Soo,  still  retaining  its  Turkish 
name,  implying  the  Black  Water.  Its  banks 
are  low  and  shelving,  its  bed  dark  and 
pebbly,  and  its  stream  beautifully  transpa- 
rent; so  that  at  the  least  distance  from  its 
banks  its  purity  alone  gives  it  a  cast  of  black- 
ness, which  well  sustains  its  name.  The 
breadth  of  the  river  here  is  not  more  than 
fifty  horse  paces,  its  depth  about  three  or 
four  feet,  and  the  rate  of  its  stream  little 
more  than  two  miles  an  hour.  We  found 
some  peasants  on  its  beach  collecting  the 
small  round  pebbles  of  its  bed,  and  loading 


206  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

them  on  their  beasts  to  carry  them  in  sacks 
to  the  town.  On  enquiring  the  purpose  to 
which  these  were  applied,  we  learned  that 
they  were  used  by  the  bakers  of  Kerman- 
shah,  who  laid  their  thin  sheets  of  bread  on 
beds  of  the  pebbles,  heated  nearly  to  redness, 
and  smoothed  by  small  rollers  like  those  used 
on  the  gravel  walks  of  an  European  garden. 

The  course  of  the  Kara  Soo  is  in  this  place 
from  north-west  to  south-east,  though  it 
afterwards  bends  to  the  southward,  in  the 
plain,  at  the  distance  of  only  a  mile  or  two 
from  this  ford.  Its  source  is  said  to  be  also 
in  a  north-west  direction,  about  three  days' 
journey  off,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  of 
Koordistan  ;  and  it  flows  from  hence  south- 
erly through  Khuzistan,  passing  by  Shooster, 
and  discharges  itself  ultimately  into  the  Eu- 
phrates, after  the  union  of  that  river  and  the 
Tigris  in  the  Shat-ul-Arab,  running  with 
these  into  the  Persian  Gulf. 

This  river  is  unquestionably  the  Choaspes 
of  antiquity,  celebrated  as  furnishing  always 
the  drink  of  the  Persian  kings.  They  so 
rigidly  confined  themselves  to  the  use  of  this 
water,  that  it  was  carried  by  them  even  in 
their    distant    expeditions ;    and    Herodotus 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  207 

relates  that  Cyrus,  when  he  inarched  against 
Babylon,  had  the  water  of  the  Choaspes  first 
boiled,  and  afterwards  borne  in  a  vase  of 
silver,  on  four-wheeled  chariots  drawn  by 
mules.^      Milton    has    an    allusion    to    this 

*  "  Against  her  son  Labynitus,  who,  with  the  name  of  his 
father,  enjoyed  the  empire  of  Assyria,  Cyrus  conducted  his 
army.  The  great  king,  in  his  warlike  expeditions,  is  provided 
from  home  with  cattle,  and  all  other  necessaries  for  his  table. 
There  is  also  carried  with  him  water  of  the  river  Choaspes, t 
which  flows  near  Susa,  for  the  king  drinks  of  no  other  j 
wherever  he  goes  he  is  attended  by  a  number  of  four-wheeled 
carriages,  drawn  by  mules,  in  which  the  water  of  Choaspes, 
being  first  boiled,  is  deposited  in  vessels  of  silver." — Clio,  188. 

Pliny,  in  adverting  to  this  tradition,  says,  that  the  water 
served  to  the  Persian  kings  for  their  drink,  was  from  the  two 
rivers  Choaspes  and  Eulseus  only  :  adding  that,  however  dis- 
tant they  might  be  from  these  two  rivers,  their  waters  were 
always  carried  with  them.  And  asking  himself  the  reason  of 
this  peculiarity,  he  decides  that  it  is  not  because  they  were  rivers 
merely,  that  the  Persian  princes  liked  their  waters  so  well,  for 
out  of  the  two  still  more  famous  rivers  Tigris  and  Euphrates,  as 
well  as  out  of  many  other  fair  and  agreeable  running  streams, 
they  did  not  drink ;  so  that  there  was  some  peculiar  and  sacred 
reason  for  the  preference  here  displayed. — See  Pli?i.  Nat.  Hist, 
b.  31.C.  2. 


t  There  Susa  by  Choaspes'  amber  stream, 

The  drink  of  none  but  kings. — Paradise  Regained,  Book  ii. 
Upon  the  above  passage  of  Milton,  Jortin  has  this  remark : — *  I  am 
afraid  Milton  is  here  mistaken.  That  the  kings  of  Persia  drank  no  water 
but  that  of  the  river  Choaspes,  is  well  knovv^n  :  that  none  but  kings  drank 
of  it,  is  v^rhat  I  believe  cannot  be  proved.' — Add  to  the  note  from  Jortin, 
the  following,  from  the  posthumous  works  of  the  same  writer  : 

'  If 


WS  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

subject,  though  he  uses  the  licence  of  a 
poet  in  making  this  the  drink  of  kings  alone, 
instead  of  confining  them  to  the  use  of  this 
water  solely  ;  and  it  is  a  fact  worthy  of  re- 
mark, that  at  this  moment,  while  all  the  in- 


*  If  we  examine  the  assertion  of  Milton,  as  an  historical  problem,  whether 
the  kings  of  Persia  alone  drank  of  Choaspes,  we  shall  find  great  reason  to 
determine  in  the  negative.  Herodotus,  Strabo,  Tibullus,  Ausonius,  Maxi- 
mus  Tyrius,  Aristides,  Plutarch,  Pliny  the  Elder,  Athenaeus,  Dionysius 
Periegetes,  and  Eustathius,  have  mentioned  Choaspes  or  Eulaeus  as  the  drink 
of  the  kings  of  Persia  or  Parthia,  and  have  called  it  fionriKiMv  uSwp,  regia 
lympha  ;  but  none  have  said  they  alone  drank  it.  I  say  Choaspes  or  Eulaeus, 
because  some  make  them  the  same,  others  make  them  different  rivers.' 

Jortin  then  adds  from  ^lian,  as  a  proof  that  the  subjects  of  the  Per- 
sian king  might  drink  this  water,  the  anecdote  which  I  have  quoted  at  length. 

*  Mention  is  made,'  continues  Jortin,  *  by  Agathocles,  of  a  certain  water 
which  none  but  Persian  kings  might  drink  ;  and  if  any  other  writers  men- 
tion it,  they  take  it  from  Agathocles.  We  find  in  Athenaeus,  Agathocles 
says,  that  there  is  in  Persia  a  water  called  Golden;  that  it  consists  of 
seventy  streams  ;  that  none  drink  of  it  except  the  king  and  his  eldest  son  ; 
and  that  if  any  other  person  does,  death  is  the  punishment. 

'  It  appears  not  that  the  golden  water  and  the  water  of  Choaspes  were 
the  same.  It  may  be  granted,  and  it  is  not  at  all  improbable,  that  the  king 
alone  drank  of  that  water  of  Choaspes,  which  was  boiled  and  barrelled  up 
for  his  use  in  his  military  expeditions.' 

Jortin  concludes  by  saying,  that  Milton,  by  his  calling  it  Amber  Stream, 
seems  to  have  had  in  view  the  golden  water  of  Agathocles.  To  me,  this 
does  not  seem  likely  ;  I  think  Milton  would  not  have  scrupled  to  have  called 
it  at  once  Golden  Stream,  if  he  had  thought  of  the  passage  from  Athenaeus 
before  quoted. 

^lian  relates,  that  Xerxes  during  his  march  came  to  a  desert  place, 
and  was  exceedingly  thirsty ;  his  attendants  with  his  baggage  were  at  some 
distance :  proclamation  was  made,  that  whoever  had  any  of  the  water  of 
Choaspes  should  produce  it  for  the  use  of  the  king.  One  person  was  found 
who  possessed  a  small  quantity,  but  it  was  quite  putrid  <  Xerxes,  however, 
drank  it,  and  considered  the  person  who  supplied  it  as  his  friend  and  bene- 
factor, as  he  must  otherwise  have  perished  with  thirst. — Beloe^s  Herodotus, 
vol.  i.  p.  254. 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  209 

habitants  of  Kermanshah  drink  of  the  stream 
of  Aub  Dedoong,  at  which  we  watered  our 
horses  on  the  day  of  entry,  and  of  the 
spring  called  Aubi-i-Hassan-Khan,  the  King's 
son  alone  has  the  water  for  himself  and  his 
harem  brought  from  the  stream  of  the  Kara 
Soo.  We  drank  of  it  ourselves  as  we  passed; 
and  from  its  superiority  to  all  the  waters  of 
which  we  had  tasted  since  leaving  the  banki? 
of  the  Tigris,  added  to  the  thirst  of  our 
noon  ride,  and  animating  conversation  by  the 
way,  the  draught  was  delicious  enough  to  be 
sweet  even  to  the  palsied  taste  of  royalty 
itself.*' 

After  quitting  the  Kara  Soo,  we  continued 
our  way  on  the  same  course  as  before,  see- 
ing many  villages  on  each  side  of  us  on  the 
plain ;  when,  after  passing  by  some  smaller 
streams,  gardens,  and  shady  bowers  of  closely 
planted  trees,  we  came  in  little  more  than 
half  an  hour  to  the  foot  of  the  rock  in  which 
the  Caves  are  excavated. 

*  Khosroo  Purveez  was  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  Kara^ 
Soo  river,  when  he  received  a  letter  from  Mahommed,  En- 
raged at  being  called  upon  by  an  Arabian  whose  name  he  had 
probably  never  before  heard,  to  renounce  the  religion  of  his 
fathers,  he  tore  the  letter  and  cast  it  into  the  Kara-Soo. — Mai- 
collars  Persia,  v.  1,  p.  158» 

VOL.    I.  P 


210  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

We  alighted,  fastened  our  horses  to  the 
trees  before  them,  and,  crossing  the  little 
brook  which  flows  along  their  front,  entered 
the  largest  of  these  recesses  to  look  around 
us.  We  found  here  a  party  of  young  men 
from  the  town,  who  had  come  out  to  pass  in 
this  agreeable  retreat  a  day  of  undisturbed 
pleasure ;  and  for  the  moment  I  felt  sorry 
that  our  presence  should  have  in  any  way 
broken  in  upon  their  retired  hours  of  joy. 
They  were  employed  in  saying  alternate 
stanzas  of  some  mourning  hymn  or  dirge,  if 
one  might  judge  from  the  sighs  and  inter- 
jections of  those  who  hung  their  heads  upon 
their  hands  as  they  listened  and  approved. 
They  had  before  them  several  baskets  of 
fresh  fruit,  and  nargeels  for  smoking ;  and 
inviting  us,  "  B'ism  lUah,"  in  the  name  of 
God,  to  sit  down  and  partake  of  their  rustic 
feast,  we  did  so  most  willingly. 

This,  however,  agreeable  as  social  pleasures 
always  are,  was  a  sad  interruption  to  the 
minute  examination  which  I  was  desirous  of 
making  of  the  numerous  sculptured  figures 
which  covered  the  sides  of  the  cave  around 
us.  I  pondered  for  an  excuse,  and  could 
scarcely  hide  my  impatience.     I  cast  my  eyes 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  211 

about  with  all  the  eagerness  of  curiosity  and 
enquiry,  until  every  one  perceived  that  this 
was  my  first  visit  to  the  Tank,  and  that  I 
was  yet  a  stranger  to  all  that  concerned  it. 

Some  of  the  young  men  who  felt  them- 
selves to  be  more  learned  than  the  rest,  ex- 
plained the  stories  of  Rustan,  whose  colossal 
figure  on  horseback  was  the  prominent  one 
of  the  place,  and  dwelt  with  still  more  de- 
light on  the  loves  of  Ferhad  and  Shirine, 
with  which  the  existence  of  the  Caves  was  so 
intimately  connected.  The  history  of  the 
lovely  Queen,  with  her  Lord  Khosrou,  and 
his  minister  Shapoor,  whose  figures  filled  the 
compartment  above  the  equestrian  Hercules 
of  their  days,  was  also  detailed  ;  but  I  still 
wished  to  examine  what  more  particularly 
caught  my  attention  among  the  smaller 
figures,  and  to  bring  away  with  me  correct 
copies  of  such  inscriptions  as  might  be.  there. 
I  was  well  aware  of  the  surprise,  the  enquiry, 
and  the  suspicion,  which  my  writing  on  the 
spot  in  an  unknown  character  would  excite  ; 
but  as  we  did  not  fear  the  number  of  our 
beholders,  and  we  should  leave  the  neigh- 
bourhood to-morrow,  I  had  determined  at 
all  hazards  to  begin,  though  my  Dervish  ob- 

1'  2 


212  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

stinately  resisted  this,  from  the  fear  of  its 
betraying  him  as  well  as  myself. 

It  was  in  this  moment  of  indecision  that 
there  arrived  a  party  of  twelve  horsemen,  of 
whom  the  chief  was  evidently  a  person  of 
distinction,  and  alighted  at  the  Cave.  The 
salutations  of  "  Salam  Alaikom"  and  "  Kosh 
Amadeed,"  were  passed  between  us  as  we 
rose  at  their  entry  ;  carpets  and  cushions 
were  spread,  a  divan  formed,  and  presently 
the  whole  of  the  Cave  was  occupied  by  this 
leader  and  his  suite.  The  young  men  whom 
we  had  found  there  on  our  first  arrival  in- 
stantly withdrew,  and  were  not  recalled  ;  but 
as  we  attempted  to  follow  their  example  after 
our  first  salutations  had  been  exchanged,  the 
Chief  beckoned  us  to  stay ;  and  my  full 
beard,  and  the  title  of  Hadjee,  with  my  Arab 
dress,  obtained  for  me  a  seat  beside  him, 
while  all  the  rest  stood. 

My  journey  was  then  enquired  about ;  and 
there  being  among  the  servants  a  man  who 
had  been  in  Egypt,  he  remarked  that  nei- 
ther my  features  nor  my  complexion  were 
Egyptian,  though,  from  the  Arabic  not  being 
his  native  tongue,  he  did  not  apparently  de- 
tect my  being  a  foreigner  in  this.    I  told  him 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  213 

that  there  was  a  mixture  of  Georgian  blood 
in  our  family,  as  I  had  often  been  taken  for 
one  of  that  country,  chiefly  from  my  complex- 
ion, hair,  and  eyes,  being  all  less  dark  than  is 
usually  seen  among  either  Arabs,  Persians,  or 
Turks  ;  and  this  explanation  was  deemed 
quite  satisfactory. 

The  leader  of  the  party  spoke  chiefly  Tur- 
kish, and  but  just  sufficient  of  Arabic  for  us 
to  converse  together  face  to  face.  His  ap- 
pearance struck  me  as  very  singular.  His 
stature  was  short  and  compressed;  his  head 
small  and  round  ;  his  features  flat ;  his  eyes 
long,  small,  and  of  a  greyish  blue  ;  his  hair  a 
brownish  yellow ;  and  his  thin  and  scanty 
beard  confined  to  a  few  long  hairs  on  the 
point  of  his  chin,  such  as  I  remember  to  have 
seen  in  a  Chinese  Mussulman  at  Mocha. 

My  surprise  was  heightened  by  finding  that 
this  man  understood  the  Roman  character ; 
for,  in  looking  round  the  Cave,  on  the  walls  of 
which  were  numerous  inscriptions  of  visitors, 
in  Hebrew.  Arabic,  Persian,  and  English,  he 
pointed  to  some  of  the  latter,  and  said, 
"  These  are  the  names  of  Franks  who  have 
been  here."  I  asked  him  if  he  could  read 
them.     He  replied  "  Yes ;"  and  going  to  one 


214  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

list,  in  which  were  the  names  of  Captain 
(now  General  Sir  John)  Malcolm,  Lieutenant 
(now  Colonel)  Mc.  Donald  (Kinnier),  and 
Dr.  Jukes,  (of  the  Bombay  army,  since  dead,) 
with  several  others  which  I  did  not  after- 
wards remember,  he  counted  letter  by  letter, 
and  pretended  to  read  them  off  with  ac- 
curacy. His  followers  seeing  this,  expressed 
a  very  anxious  desire  to  know  what  these 
Frank  inscriptions  could  contain.  "  Not  one 
of  these  infidels  who  have  ever  passed  this 
way,"  said  they,  "  have  omitted  to  visit  the 
Tauk-e-Bostan,  and  it  must  either  be  in  ve- 
neration of  their  ancestors,  by  whom  some 
think  this  country  was  once  possessed,  or  in 
performance  of  some  religious  duty,  that 
they  come  here  to  inscribe  on  the  hard  rock 
such  long  sentences  as  these.  Do,"  con- 
tinued they,  entreating  their  Chief  with  un- 
usual eagerness,  "  explain  to  us  the  writings 
which  these  Giaours  leave  behind  them." 

The  naihes  themselves,  to  the  number  of 
ten  or  twelve,  were  all  cut  in  Roman  capitals 
with  great  care:  those  of  Mr.  Manesty,  an 
English  Envoy  and  his  suite,  on  the  right 
of  the  figure  of  Rustan,  on  looking  towards 
it;  and  those  of  General  Malcolm  and  his 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  215 

attendants  on  the  left.  The  latter  were  in- 
scribed within  a  sort  of  outline  tablet,  drawn 
round  it;  and  as  sufficient  space  was  left 
within  this  line  for  that  purpose,  some  sub- 
sequent French  visitor  had  cut,  in  long 
slender  characters  above  this  array  of  Eng- 
lish names,  the  words  Vive  Napoleon  ! — As 
a  specimen  of  the  accuracy  with  which  the 
Chief  understood  the  character,  he  read  this 
first  line,  by  saying  it  meant  "  Bism  lUah, 
el  Rahhman  el  Rakheem,"  or,  "  In  the  name 
of  God,  the  great  and  the  merciful."  "What !" 
exclaimed  his  companions,  "  do  the  Infidels 
commence  their  writings  with  the  prayer 
which  our  Holy  Prophet  has  chosen  for  the 
head  of  every  chapter  of  the  Koran,  and  for 
the  commencement  of  every  operation  of  a 
true  believer?"  "No;"  replied  the  Chief, 
somewhat  embarrassed  by  this  remark,  "  it  is 
not  precisely  the  eloquent  '  Bism  lUah'  of 
the  Prophet,  but  it  is  a  prayer  to  exactly 
the  same  effect,  with  which  the  Franks  of 
the  West  commence  all  they  do,  and  ^which 
the  great  mass  of  the  Giaours  write  '  In  Dei 
nomine,'  but  the  English  express  by  the 
words  '  Shipped  by  the  grace  of  God  !'  " 
The  Latin  and  the  English  formulae  were 


216  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

each  expressed  imperfectly,  but  with  suffi- 
cient distinctness  for  me  to  recognise  them 
both ;  though  how  this  man  could  have 
learned  these  two,  applied  generally  to  such 
opposite  purposes,  was  still  to  me  unintel- 
ligible. My  Dervish,  who  knew  the  man 
well,  explained  it  perfectly  however,  by  telling 
me  that  he  was  a  Russian,  who  had  been  in 
the  service  of  the  Turks,  and  having  em- 
braced Islamism,  had  risen  by  progressive 
gradations  to  be  the  Mutesellim,  or  Governor 
of  Bussorah,  which  station  he  had  filled  for 
several  years.  Rustan  Aga,  for  that  was  now 
his  name,  becoming  obnoxious  to  the  Pasha 
of  Bagdad,  as  all  the  servants  of  the  great  in 
the  East  are  sure  to  do  when  they  are  sup- 
posed to  become  too  wealthy,  he  was  recalled 
to  the  capital,  stripped  of  his  riches,  and  at 
last  banished  from  thence,  on  which  occasion 
he  had  recently  come  here  to  Kermanshah  as 
a  retreat.  In  his  capacity  of  Mutesellim  at 
this  sea-port,  frequented  by  English  ships, 
he  might  have  learned  to  distinguish  the 
Roman  character  from  others,  perhaps  by  the 
occasional  sight  of  their  package-marks,  or 
papers  ;  and  from  the  last  alone,  he  must 
have    remeinbered    the    pious    formula    of 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  217 

"  Shipped  by  the  grace  of  God,"  with  which 
all  our  English  bills  of  lading  are  still  com« 
menced. 

When  we  had  talked  of  the  Caves,  and 
the  visitors  had  decided  that  the  large  one 
was  for  Khosrou,  the  bench  at  the  end  for 
him  to  enjoy  the  caresses  of  Shirine,  and  the 
adjoining  smaller  cave  for  the  servants  and 
Cawajee  Bashi,  or  chief  of  the  coffee-preparers, 
a  repast  of  fruits  was  served  to  us  in  nume- 
rous baskets  of  freshly  gathered  grapes  and 
peaches  from  the  neighbouring  gardens,  of 
which  Rustan  Aga  and  myself  first  partook, 
and  afterwards  my  Dervish  and  the  servants 
in  waiting.  An  hour  passed  over  pipes  and 
coffee,  with  intervals  of  dull  conversation, 
until  the  Aga  growing  sleepy,  laid  himself 
along  upon  the  bench  of  Shirine,  which  is 
the  raised  base  or  pedestal  on  which  the 
horse  of  Rustan  stands,  and  expressed  his 
wish  to  sleep. 

I  still  hoped  that  I  might  be  able  to  write, 
thinking  the  rest  of  the  party  would  retire ; 
their  presence,  however,  still  interrupted 
this  ;  and  from  a  whispering  conversation  be- 
tween them  in  Persian,  I  feared  that  even 
they  suspected  me  to  be  not  what  I  had  pre- 


218  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

tended.  My  Dervish,  who  heard  and  un- 
derstood the  whole,  soon  undeceived  me,  by 
saying,  that  when  the  Aga  laid  himself  down 
upon  the  cool  couch  of  Shirine,  he  had  given 
orders  to  his  principal  servant  to  await  our 
going  away,  and  then  to  dispatch  a  horseman 
to  the  village  near  for  the  two  young  Per- 
sian girls  who  had  invited  us  to  turn  aside 
from  our  way.  They  had  accosted  him  it 
seems  also,  and  he  had  promised  them  to  see 
their  abode  on  his  return  ;  but,  whether  the 
story  blended  with  the  place  of  his  present 
repose  had  inflamed  his  imagination  or  not, 
his  impatience  induced  him  to  send  for  them 
here  ;  and  the  consultation  now  was  whether 
they  should  await  our  departure  or  send  for 
them  at  once. 

"  Not  to  enjoy  the  occasion  which  had 
been  presented  to  ourselves,  and  to  be  an  ob- 
stacle to  this  enjoyment  in  others,  would," 
said  Ismael,  "  be  so  like  the  dog  in  the  man- 
ger," a  fable  with  which  he  was  well  ac- 
quainted, "  that  we  should  deserve  to  be  cut 
off  for  ever  from  its  recurrence  if  we  stayed 
here  a  moment  longer."  As  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  end  for  which  alone  I  came 
thus  far  was  indeed  now  almost  hopeless,  I 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  219 

hardly  wished  to  prolong  my  stay,  so  that  we 
mounted  and  set  out  on  our  return. 

The  horseman  was  immediately  dispatched 
and  soon  overtook  us,  confessing  with  all 
frankness,  on  our  asking  him,  the  nature  of 
his  errand.  We  rode  together  to  the  vil- 
lage, heard  the  message  delivered,  and  saw 
the  girls  themselves  set  out  to  fulfil  it ;  so 
that  no  doubt  could  any  longer  remain  of 
their  engagement.  "  This,"  said  the  Der- 
vish, "  is  true  philosophy.  Behold  this  Rus- 
tan,  born  an  infidel,  embracing  afterwards 
the  true  faith,  becoming  rich,  abandoned 
by  fortune,  banished,  and  shown  the  whole 
round  of  poverty  and  wealth,  of  favour  and 
disgrace,  yet  retaining  wisdom  enough  amidst 
all  these  reverses  to  solace  his  banishment 
with  pleasure,  and  not  to  suffer  a  moment 
of  pure  enjoyment  to  pass  by  him  for  the 
sake  of  the  works  of  the  past,  or  the  hopes 
of  the  future,  of  which  you  so  idly  talked." 
I  strove  to  convince  him  that  it  was  because 
the  man  had  no  philosophy,  and  was  really 
unhappy  in  his  banishment,  that  he  sought 
for  pleasure  in  such  sources  as  these  ;  but 
all  that  I  could  say  was  in  vain.  Ismael 
contended  that  we  had  acted  foolishly,  and 


^2(y  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

thought  not  only  that  my  disappointment  at 
the  Caves  was  a  fit  punishment  for  my  folly, 
but  that  I  should  deserve  all  the  evils  which 
might  in  any  other  way  result  from  it. 

It  was  nearly  sunset  before  we  returned 
to  the  khan,  and  we  had  still  many  little 
duties  to  perform  preparatory  to  our  setting 
out  in  the  morning.  I  had  determined,  if 
possible,  to  turn  aside  from  the  road  then, 
and  make  a  second  visit  to  the  Caves  in  our 
way  to  Bisitoon ;  but  as  that  might  not  be 
practicable,  I  sat  down  by  my  lamp,  when 
my  companions  were  asleep,  to  note  down 
such  recollections  as  I  still  retained  of  the 
Caves,  from  my  imperfect  and  restrained  ex- 
amination of  them. 

They  are  called  by  the  natives  Tauk-e- 
Bostan,  or  the  Arch  of  the  Garden,  and  not 
Takht  Rustam,  or  the  Throne  of  Rustam,  as 
has  been  said.  They  are  situated  at  the 
distance  of  somewhat  more  than  a  league 
from  Kermanshah,  in  a  due  bearing  of  north- 
east by  compass.  They  are  hewn  out  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  of  the  same  name,  con- 
nected with  which  are  the  separate  masses 
of  Parou  to  the  north,  and  Bisitoon  to  the 
east.     The  rock  here  rises  in  nearly  a  per- 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  221 

pendicular  clifF  from  the  plain,  and  the  Caves 
face  the  south-west,  looking  immediately  to- 
wards the  town. 

On  approaching  them,  they  are  scarcely 
seen,  as  they  are  covered  by  clusters  of  trees 
thickly  planted,  some  of  them  extending 
close  to  the  fronts  of  the  Caves  themselves. 
On  arriving  at  these,  the  appearance  pre- 
sented is  that  of  a  high  and  bare  mountain, 
rising  in  nearly  a  perpendicular  line,  with  a 
small  brook  of  beautifully  clear  water  flow- 
ing beneath  its  feet.  The  source  of  this  is 
close  by,  as  it  issues  out  from  beneath  the 
rock  ;  and  over  the  spot  are  two  brick  arches 
of  the  Roman  form,  still  perfect.  These  are 
not  the  remains  of  a  bridge,  as  M.  Rousseau 
supposes,*  as  they  are  built  in  the  side  of 
the  rock,  and  lead  to  no  passage.  The  pur- 
pose of  them  seems  to  have  been  to  mark 
the  source  of  the  stream  and  keep  its  outlet 
clear  ;  a  similar  arch  of  stone  being  erected 
in  the  same  way  over  the  source  of  the  Ain- 
el  Fee-jey,  near  Damascus,  close  by  an  an- 
cient temple  there. 

These  arches  are  the  first  objects  seen  on 
the   right   or  south-east  in  looking  towards 

*  Mines  de  I'Orient,  torn.  iii.  p.  94, 


222  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

the  Caves,  and  close  to  them  are  three  sculp- 
tured figures  on  the  outer  surface  of  the 
rock.  The  tablet,  or  pannel,  in  which  these 
are  included,  is  just  sufficiently  large  to  con- 
tain them,  and  the  figures  are  about  the  size 
of  life.  The  sculpture  is  in  bas-relief,  tole- 
rably executed,  and  still  very  perfect.  One 
of  these,  the  figure  on  the  left,  has  a  star  be- 
neath his  feet,  and  a  sort  of  halo,  like  the 
rays  of  a  blazing  sun,  around  his  head  ;  ano- 
ther, the  central  one,  has  a  glo^e  over  a  hel- 
met, like  the  heads  of  the  Sassanian  medals ; 
and  the  third,  on  the  right,  nearest  the 
source  of  the  stream,  stands  on  a  figure  lying 
horizontally  on  the  ground.*  The  first  of 
these  is  perhaps  the  one  taken  for  Ariman, 
or  Zoroaster,  but  whether  the  others  were 
armed  or  not  I  do  not  perfectly  remember. 
The  frilled  drapery  of  their  trowsers  form- 
ing a  line  from  the  ankle  to  the  hip,  pro- 
duces a  very  novel  effect,  as  well  as  the  sort 
of  sandals  with  which  their  feet  are  bound.f 
Close  to  this,  still  on  the  left  or  north- 

*  This  is  thought  to  be  a  prostrate  Roman  soldier,  as  em- 
blematic of  the  fallen  state  of  that  empire  at  the  period  of  its 
execution. 

t  See  the  plate  in  Sir  John  Malcolm's  History  of  Persia, 
which  is  very  correct. 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAIS^.  228 

west,  is  the  first  or  smallest  Cave.  This  is 
little  more  than  fifteen  feet  square,  and  about 
the  same  height  in  the  centre  of  the  arch, 
which  is  of  the  pure  Roman  form,  and  the 
sides  and  floor  are  all  perfectly  level.  There 
are,  I  think,  no  devices  on  the  outer  front 
of  this,  and  the  side  walls  of  the  interior  are 
perfectly  plain.  The  end  wall  is  divided  into 
two  compartments  by  a  sort  of  moulding  run- 
ning along  the  whole  breadth  of  the  Cave 
and  nearly  midway  up  the  wall,  so  as  to  di- 
vide it  almost  equally  by  a  horizontal  line. 
In  the  lower  one  I  do  not  remember  any 
devices,  and  in  the  upper  are,  I  think,  two 
figures,  of  which  I  have  also  an  imperfect  re- 
collection. They  are  fully  as  large  as  the 
life,  are  both  standing,  and  executed  in  alto- 
relievo.  On  each  side  of  them  is  an  inscrip- 
tion of  four  or  five  lines  each,  in  the  cha- 
racter of  the  Sassanian  medals,  which  M.  de 
Sacy  has  so  successfully  decyphered  and  ex- 
plained.^ 

*  See  the  *  Antiquites  de  la  Perse, '  by  Silvestre  de  Sacy  ; 
from  which  it  appears  that  the  Tauk-e-Bostan  was  excavated 
by  Baharam,  the  founder  of  Kermanshah,  as  the  inscription  in 
PehUvi,  translated  by  De  Sacy,  has  the  name  of  Vararan,  or 
Varahan,  which  approaches  the  Roman  name  of  Baharam,  who 
is  Varanes  the  Fourth,  of  Latin  history. — See  also  Malcolm's 
Persia,  vol.  i.  p.  113. 


224  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

On  the  left  of  this  is  the  principal  or  larger 
Cave,  divided  from  the  small  one  by  a  thick 
wall  of  rock  only  ;  and  all  these  objects  are 
included  within  a  space  of  fifty  yards  in 
length.  In  front  of  them,  the  stream,  which 
springs  from  beneath  the  brick  arches  on  the 
south-east,  flows  along  to  the  north-west, 
touching  the  foot  of  the  rock  where  the  three 
sculptured  figures  are  seen  on  its  surface, 
and  being  only  half  a  dozen  paces  from  the 
mouth  of  the  larger  Cave.  This  stream, 
however,  is  not  the  Kara  Soo,  as  has  been 
said,^  but  a  mere  brook,  called,  from  the 
place  of  its  source,  Aub-i-Tauk-e-Bostan,  and 
going  from  the  Caves  south-west  into  that 
river.  Its  waters  were  painfully  cold  at 
noon-day,  and  as  sweet  and  clear  as  the 
stream  which  it  augments. 

The  great  Cave  is  perhaps  about  twenty- 
five  feet  square,  and  rather  more  than  the 
same  height.  Its  roof  is  arched,  of  the  pure 
Roman  form,  and,  like  the  other,  its  floor 
and  sides  are  perfectly  level.  The  outer 
front  of  this  excavation  presents  first  a  fine 
broad  pilaster  on  each  side,  with  a  device 
formed  by  a  chain  of  stems  and  flowers  wind- 

*  Rousseau*s  Journey  from  Bagdad  to  Kermiinshah. 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  225 

ing  round  a  central  stalk,  not  unlike  some 
of  the  rich  pilasters  on  the  doors  of  Pal- 
myra, and  as  beautifully  executed  as  they 
are  tastefully  designed.  The  arch  itself  has 
sculptured  mouldings  running  over  it  to 
finish  its  front,  which  are  also  chastely  done. 
Above  this,  and  exactly  over  the  centre  of 
the  arch,  is  a  crescent,  resting  on  what  ap- 
pears to  be  extended  wings,  which  might 
perhaps  be  thought  to  have  some  affinity 
with  the  winged  globe  of  the  Egyptians. 
This  device  of  a  serpent,  or  a  lizard  (for  it 
has  been  called  both)  with  expanded  wings, 
as  seen  both  here  and  at  the  Caves  of  Nakshi 
Rustam,  has  been  taken  by  the  learned  Dr. 
Hyde,  (author  of  a  Treatise  on  the  Religion 
of  the  Ancient  Persians,)  for  a  symbol  of  the 
soul,  and  by  others,  for  an  Egyptian  scara- 
beus ;  while  Thevenot  calls  it  a  winged  idol, 
and  Pietro  della  Valle,  the  Devil  !^ 

On  each  side  of  this  symbol,  in  the  angu- 
lar space  left  between  the  arch  and  a  square 
of  the  rock  formed  over  it,  are  two  beautiful 
female  figures,  such  as  in  Europe  we  should 
call  angels.  These  are  larger  than  the  life, 
and  sculptured  in  bas-relief.     They  are  robed 

*  Memoires  de  I'Academie  des  Inscriptions  et  Belles  Lettres, 
VOL.    I.  Q, 


226  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

in  fine  flowing  drapery,  have  broadly  ex- 
panded wings  of  the  eagle  form,  boldly  drawn 
and  executed ;  and  they  lean  in  free  and 
graceful  attitudes  towards  the  central  sym- 
bol, being  buoyant  in  air;  and  while,  with 
the  nearest  hand,  they  seem  to  present  to 
this  a  circular  wreath  of  flowers,  in  the  other 
they  hold  a  vase  of  the  flat  Roman  form, 
filled  above  the  brim  with  fruits.  The  faces 
of  these  female  figures  are  round,  smiling, 
and  full  of  complacency  and  good  nature  : 
their  forms  are  at  once  elegant  and  free, 
their  hair  short  and  curly,  the  disposition  of 
the  fingers  in  holding  the  wreath  and  the 
vase  extremely  natural,  the  wings  noble,  and 
the  drapery  ample  and  flowing,  so  that  they 
give  to  the  whole  front  of  the  excavation  the 
most  imposing  appearance. 

On  the  inside  of  the  great  cave,  the  largest 
and  most  prominent  figures  are  on  the  end 
wall,  immediately  facing  the  spectator  on  en- 
tering. This  wall  is  divided  into  two  equal 
compartments  by  a  broad  sculptured  frieze 
or  cornice,  jutting  out  from  the  level  of  the 
ground  on  which  the  designs  are  executed, 
in  about  the  same  proportion  as  the  figures ; 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  227 

SO  that  its  highest  part  is  on  a  level  with  the 
most  projecting  of  the  group,  these  last  being 
all  executed  in  very  bold  alto-relievo. 

The  lower  compartment  is  entirely  occu- 
pied  by   the   colossal    equestrian    figure    of 
Rustam,  the  Hercules  of  the  Persians,  famed 
for  his  feats  of  strength.     His  horse,  though 
in  some  parts  clumsy,  has  nothing  in  its  form 
that  grossly  offends  the  sight,  on  seeing  it  at 
a   proper   distance.      Its    neck,    breast,    and 
shoulders,  are  covered  with  an  ample  cloth, 
richly  wrought,  with  tassels;  but  its  haunches 
are  perfectly  bare.     The  figure  of  the  rider 
is  on  a  scale  of  nine  or  ten  feet  high,  and 
intended   perhaps   to  represent  the  size  of 
life  in  the  hero  himself,  as  the  natural  size 
seems  to  have  been  made  the  standard  of  all 
the  other  large  figures  seen  here.    This  rider 
sits  firmly  on  his  horse,  and  is  in  the  act  of 
poising  his  spear ;  while  from  his  neck  or 
collar,  are  seen  flying  out  behind  him  the 
ruffled  plaits  of  a  scarf,  as  if  blown  out  by 
the  wind.     The  face  of  the  hero  is  masked, 
and  his  body  is  covered  with  a  coat  of  ar- 
mour formed  of  net- work,  finely  woven  into 
a  close  cloth.     The  farther  hind-leg  of  the 

Q  2 


228  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

horse  is  destroyed,  and  a  part  of  its  head  is 
defaced ;  but  the  rest  is  well  preserved,  and 
its  details  are  quite  distinct. 

The  upper  compartment  contains  three 
standing  figures,  about  the  size  of  life ;  the 
two  right-hand  ones  of  which  are  male,  and 
the  other  a  female.  The  traditions  of  the 
country  say,  that  the  central  one  is  Khosrou 
Parviz,  with  Shirine,  his  bride,  on  his  right, 
and  Shapoor,  his  minister,  on  his  left.  I 
was  struck  with  nothing  peculiar  in  these 
figures,  except  that  the  queen  holds  a  vase 
in  her  left  hand,  as  if  pouring  water  from 
it,  which  Beauchamp  had  before  asserted,  and 
Rousseau  had  denied  to  exist.* 

Whether  this  alluded  to  the  source  of  the 
river  near,  as  the  first  of  these  writers  thought, 
it  is  not  easy  to  determine ;  but  the  conjec- 
ture was  at  least  a  natural  one.  The  in- 
scription above  these  figures,  which  is  said  to 
be  in  the  Sassanian  character,  I  did  not  ob- 
serve, although  my  hasty  glance  over  all  that 
I  saw  around  me,  would  not  admit  of  my 
saying  that  no  such  inscription  existed. 

The  side-walls  seemed  to  me  to  represent 
a  kind  of  open  verandah,  with  one  large  cen- 

*  Rousseau's  Journey,  in  '  Les  Mines  de  1' Orient/  p.  95. 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  229 

tral  and  several  smaller  windows,  through 
which  the  figures  sculptured  there  were  sup- 
posed to  be  seen  at  indefinite  distances ;  for 
I  thought  I  could  trace  distinctly  the  loop- 
ing-up  of  the  curtains  with  cords,  to  admit 
the  view ;  and  observe  in  the  open  basket- 
work  of  the  frame  of  the  verandah  the  ne- 
cessary pins  and  cords  for  its  support. 

Upon  the  side-wall,  on  the  right  hand  on 
entering,  is  the  representation  of  a  chase,  as 
if  seen  through  the  large  central  window. 
The  principal  figure  of  this  picture  is  on 
horseback,  but  not  in  the  act  of  pursuit, 
though  a  graceful  motion  is  given  to  the 
animal  itself.  A  page  holds  over  him  a 
large  umbrella,  in  the  Indian  style,  to  shelter 
him  from  the  sun ;  but  the  costume  either 
of  the  lord  or  his  attendants  I  do  not  re- 
member. Below  is  a  herd  of  deer,  or  ante- 
lopes, in  full  flight ;  some  of  which  are  well, 
and  others  badly  done.  In  the  smaller  com- 
partments are  other  pictures,  each  distinctly 
seen  through  a  small  side-window  of  the 
verandah ;  some  representing  camels,  led  by 
halters,  and  going  in  trains  up  a  hilly  road ; 
others,  I  think,  elephants,  and  a  profusion 
of  figures,  of  which  it  was  impossible  for  me 


230  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

to  retain  a  distinct  recollection.  The  sculp- 
ture of  the  whole  is  in  basso-relievo,  much 
about  the  same  height  from  the  level  of  the 
surface  as  the  best  Egyptian  sculptures  in 
the  caves  and  temples  of  that  country.  The 
drawing  of  some  of  the  figures  in  motion  is 
better,  and  others  worse  than  these ;  but  the 
attitudes  and  the  finish  of  the  details  of  such 
as  are  at  rest,  are  each  inferior  to  the  best 
works  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile. 

The  side-wall  opposite  to  this,  or  on  the 
left  when  entering,  is  ornamented  with  a  si- 
milar representation  of  a  verandah,  and  large 
and  small  windows,  through  which  the  pic- 
tures there  are  seen.  These  spaces  are 
crowded  with  a  much  greater  number  and 
variety  of  figures  than  on  the  opposite  side. 
The  same  want  of  perspective,  and  confusion 
of  grouping,  is  observed  in  both ;  but  the 
figures  are  in  general  better  drawn,  and  the 
whole  detail  of  the  sculpture  is  of  infinitely 
more  laboured  and  perfect  workmanship 
than  the  other.  The  high  finish  of  these 
is  equal  to  any  thing  that  I  remember  in 
Egypt,  either  at  Tentyra,  Edfou,  Assouan, 
or  even  the  temples  in  Nubia ;  and  the  dif- 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  231 

ference,  in  this  respect,  between  this  and  the 
other  side  of  the  cave,  impressed  me  at  once 
with  an  idea  that  they  had  been  executed 
by  different  hands,  and  at  very  distant  pe- 
riods of  time. 

The  general  subject  on  this  side  seemed 
to  be  a  hunting  of  wild  boars  in  lakes  and 
marshes.  Water  was  sometimes  fancifully 
represented  in  wavy  lines,  like  a  whirlpool ; 
and  though  fishes  were  represented  in  this, 
yet  a  tree  was  also  seen  through  it,  and  land 
animals  and  birds  near  it.  The  chief  per- 
sonage of  all  this  multitude  stood  erect  in  a 
boat,  and  was  sometimes  seen  drawing  his 
bow,  and  at  others  with  it  relaxed.  The 
dress  of  this  chief  was  of  the  richest  kind ; 
and  among  the  devices  on  the  robes  were 
large  dragons,  as  if  of  Tartar  or  Chinese  ori- 
gin. By  him  sat  a  musician,  who  played  on 
a  harp  of  many  strings,  holding  the  perpen- 
dicular part  towards  his  body,  and  resting 
the  horizontal  part  on  the  knee.  The  boats 
were  of  the  rudest  form,  and  the  oars  were 
long  poles,  with  flat  square  pieces  of  wood 
fastened  to  their  extremes,  in  the  Indian 
fashion.     Two  of  these  oars  only  were  used. 


232  VISIT    TO    THE   ANTIQUITIES 

one  ahead  and  one  astern  ;  being  plied  as  pad- 
dles over  each  quarter,  to  act  rather  as  rud- 
ders than  as  oars. 

In  one  of  the  boats  was  a  company  of  fe- 
male harpers,  playing  on  instruments  of  the 
same  form  as  those  described.  These  were 
very  richly  dressed  in  embroidered  robes,  and 
their  attitudes  were  a  combination  of  kneel- 
ing and  sitting,  as  in  use  among  Moham- 
medans in  some  parts  of  their  prayers,  and 
by  most  of  the  Eastern  people  when  they 
sit  before  their  superiors.  They  were  well 
drawn,  their  attitudes  admirably  natural,  and 
their  drapery  gracefully  and  finely  wrought. 
They  resembled  strikingly  some  figures  of 
female  harpers  which  I  remember  to  have 
seen  on  a  ruin  near  the  precipice  on  the 
banks  of  the  Nile,  and  in  front  of  the  great 
Temple  of  Koum-Ombos  (the  city  of  the 
Crocodile),  and  were  among  the  most  inte- 
resting figures  of  the  whole  piece. 

There  were  here  also  a  profusion  of  wild 
boars,  in  all  possible  attitudes ;  some  flying 
from  their  pursuers,  others  wounded  and  at 
a  stand,  and  others  falling  in  the  tortures  of 
death.  A  number  of  elephants  were  also 
seen ;  some  mounted  by  riders  to  pursue  the 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  233 

game,  and  others  employed  to  carry  off  the 
prey.  Among  the  last  were  slain  boars,  lashed 
on  elephants'  backs  by  strong  ropes  :  near 
this  were  men  apparently  preparing  the  dead 
animals  for  dissection,  and  a  multitude  of 
other  figures,  of  which  I  have  only  the  re- 
collection of  an  imperfect  dream.  The  ex- 
ecution of  the  whole  was  surprisingly  la- 
boured ;  in  many  instances  producing  the 
most  finished  details.  The  dresses  of  the 
people,  with  their  appropriate  ornaments,  and 
the  folds  of  their  drapery,  the  attitudes  of 
many  of  the  men  and  animals,  the  frame- 
work of  the  verandah,  and  the  pins,  the 
cords,  and  curtains  of  its  windows,  were  all 
deserving  admiration,  and  made  me  regret, 
more  than  I  can  describe,  the  impossibility  of 
my  detailing  them  more  minutely  on  the 
spot. 

The  purpose  for  which  these  Caves  were 
executed  can  scarcely  be  mistaken  : — their 
cool  and  delightful  situation,  and  all  the 
accompaniments  of  water,  trees,  and  an  ex- 
tensive and  beautiful  prospect, — their  name, 
as  the  "  Arch  of  the  Garden,"  which  is  still 
retained, — and  the  purpose  for  which  they 
continue  to  be  visited  to  the  present  hour, 


234  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

— all  induce  a  belief  that  they  were  hewn 
out  as  summer-houses  of  pleasure  for  some 
royal  or  distinguished  personage  of  antiquity, 
whose  abode  was  in  this  neighbourhood.  The 
sculptures  appear  to  have  nothing  in  them 
of  an  historical  kind,  nor  do  they  seem  de- 
signed to  commemorate  any  great  political  or 
warlike  event,  but  are  merely  the  ornaments 
of  general  pictures  appropriate  to  such  a 
place.  The  tradition  of  their  being  the  work 
of  Ferhad,  the  Georgian  Prince,  who  was  en- 
amoured of  Shirine,  and  whom  Khosrou  em- 
ployed in  labours  of  this  kind  to  divert  his 
attention  from  his  mistress,  is  believed  by  all 
here,  and  would  require  the  positive  testi- 
mony of  history  or  inscriptions  to  overthrow. 
The  opinion  that  these  sculptures  at  the 
Tauk-e-Bostan  were  the  works  of  Semiramis, 
or  of  the  Greek  successor  of  Alexander,  has 
been  sufficiently  combated  by  M.  Silvestre 
de  Sacy  in  his  "  Memoires  sur  les  Antiqui- 
tes  de  la  Perse  ;"  and  the  correspondence  of 
the  costume  with  that  seen  in  the  drawings 
of  the  sculptures  at  Shapoor  and  Nakshi 
Rustam,  as  well  as  the  Pehlivi  inscription 
translated  by  the  learned  Frenchman,  leave 


OF    TAUK-E-BOSTAN.  235 

no  longer  any  doubt  of  their  being  the  work 
of  the  Sassanian  age. 

The  neighbouring  town  of  Kermanshah 
is  said  to  have  been  founded  by  Bahram,  the 
son  of  Sapor  Dulactaf,  who,  having  conquered 
Kerman,  assumed  the  title  of  Kermanshah,  or 
king  of  that  country,  which  he  bestowed  on 
his  new  city,  Chosroes. 

Nashirvan,  according  to  the  Nozhat  Alco- 
laub,  here  erected  a  magnificent  hall  of  au- 
dience, where  on  one  occasion  he  received  at 
the  same  time  the  homages  of  the  Emperor 
of  Rome,  the  Emperor  of  China,  and  the 
Khan  of  the  Tartars.  No  ruin  of  any  an- 
cient building  of  consequence  is  now  how- 
ever to  be  seen,  continues  the  author  from 
whom  this  is  extracted  ;  and  it  is  not  im- 
probable but  the  historian  may  allude  to  the 
Hall  of  Kengawar.  As,  however,  the  figure 
of  Bahram,  or  Varahram,  himself  is  sculp- 
tured in  one  of  the  Caves,  which  we  gather 
from  the  inscription  accompanying  it,  there 
seems  no  reason  why  this  fine  arched  cham- 
ber should  not  be  the  hall  in  question  ;  de- 
lightfully seated  as  it  is  in  the  most  agree- 
able spot  near  Kermanshah,  and  distinguish- 


236  VISIT    TO    THE    ANTIQUITIES 

ed  as  it  unquestionably  was  by  the  favour  of 
the  founder,  in  the  expense  and  labour  la- 
vished on  it. 

There  are  two  other  remarkable  monu- 
ments spoken  of  in  the  mountain  behind,  or 
to  the  northward  of  these  Caves,  and  thought 
to  be  the  work  of  the  same  artist.  One  of 
these  is  called  Keresht,  and  is  a  large  passage 
leading  through  the  rock  to  such  an  extent 
that  no  torches  will  retain  their  light  suffi- 
ciently long  to  enable  the  visitors  to  arrive  at 
its  termination.  The  other  is  a  large  build- 
ing called  Beit-Khan-el-Jemsheed,  or  the 
Idol-house  of  Jemsheed,  which  is  now  in 
ruins.  The  first  of  these  is  four  or  five  hours' 
journey  from  Kermanshah,  and  the  last  some- 
what more  distant.  Of  the  basin  and  sculp- 
tures in  the  mountain  of  Harrsin  to  the 
south-west,  as  spoken  of  by  M.  Rousseau,  we 
could  obtain  no  precise  information. 

In  Col.  Kinnier's  Geographical  Memoir  on 
the  Persian  Empire,  this  place  seems  to  be 
coupled  with  Bisitoon,  from  which  it  is  per- 
fectly distinct.  After  a  description  of  the 
figures  here  at  the  Caves  only,  the  author 
says :  "I  have  been  thus  minute  on  the  sculp- 
tures at  Tak-e-Bostan  and  Bisiton,  because 


OF  tauk-e-bostan.  237 

I  have  never,  in  any  publication,  seen  an  ac- 
curate description  of  them."  And  after  a 
citation  of  the  story  of  Semiramis  and  her 
hundred  guards,  from  Diodorus  Siculus,  he 
concludes  :  "  The  group  of  figures  (here  at 
the  Tauk-e-Bostan,  since  he  describes  no 
others)  cannot  indeed  be  construed  into  a  re- 
presentation of  the  Assyrian  queen  and  her 
guards  ;  but  it  must  at  the  same  time  be  re- 
membered, that  other  sculptures  have  ap- 
parently been  obliterated  to  make  room  for 
the  Arabic  inscription."* 

*  Geog.  Mem.  4to.  p.  137, 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FROM   KERMANSHAH   TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGA- 
WAR ATTACK    OF    ROBBERS. 

Sept.  18th. — We  mounted  our  horses  at 
the  gate  of  Kermanshah  soon  after  sunrise, 
intending  to  go  from  hence  to  the  Caves 
at  Tauk-e-Bostan,  and  from  thence  along  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  to  Bisitoon,  by  a  route 
distinct  from  the  main  road ;  and  after  see- 
ing the  antiquities  there  in  our  way,  to  re- 
join the  horsemen,  whose  party  we  were  to 
accompany,  at  the  khan  of  the  latter  place. 
We  went  out  of  the  Ispahan  gate,  leading 
our  diseased  horse  after  us ;  but  we  had 
scarcely  turned  off  the  highway  to  go  towards 
the  Caves,  before  we  were  overtaken  by  a 
party  of  four  or  five  people  of  distinction  on 
horseback,  going  out  to  pass  a  day  of  plea- 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


ENCOUNTER  WITH'  ROBBERS  NEAR  KENGAWAR. 


PubUshed  by  Henry  Colburn,  »  New  Burlington  Str«jet.     Jan.  1,  1829. 


FROM    KERMANSHAH    TO    BISITOON.         239 

sure  there,  attended  by  a  train  of  mounted 
servants,  baggage,  &c. 

The  Dervish  Ismael  insisted  on  it  that 
the  destinies  were  against  us,  as  we  had  had 
such  a  succession  of  misfortunes  and  disap- 
pointments in  all  our  attempts  to  see  the 
Caves  alone,  during  our  stay  at  Kermanshah  ; 
he  therefore  urged  my  abandoning  the  inten- 
tion altogether.  We  might  still  have  gone 
there,  however,  on  a  second  visit  this  morn- 
ing, notwithstanding  this  unexpected  party  ; 
but  our  presence  would  have  been  an  intru- 
sion on  these  great  people,  which  their  po- 
liteness would  perhaps  have  suffered  for  a 
while ;  although  taking  notes  on  the  spot 
would  have  been  impossible,  and  that  was  the 
only  object  I  wished  to  accomplish  in  a  se- 
cond visit.  We  accordingly  yielded  to  the 
supposed  destiny  of  our  case,  and  returned 
at  once  into  the  high  road,  to  overtake  the 
party  of  horsemen  whom  we  had  agreed  to 
meet  at  the  khan  of  Bisitoon,  from  which 
we  were  to  go  on  together  towards  Hamadan. 

Our  course  lay  nearly  east,  across  the  plain, 
in  which  we  saw  villages  on  each  side  of  us, 
with  a  numerous  peasantry,  and  abundance 
of  cattle.      In   about    two   hours  after  our 


240  FROM    KERMANSHAH, 

leaving  the  gate  of  Kermanshah,  we  came  to 
the  Choaspes,  or  Kara  Soo,  which  was  here 
flowing  at  the  rate  of  about  two  miles  an 
hour  to  the  southward.  Across  it  was  a 
lofty  and  well-built  bridge,  of  six  pointed 
arches,  with  buttresses,  the  foundation  of 
large  hewn  stones,  and  the  upper  part  of 
burnt  bricks,  with  a  good  pavement  above 
the  whole.  We  sounded  the  stream  below 
this  bridge,  as  it  was  not  more  than  a  hun- 
dred feet  wide,  and  found  it  to  be  not 
more  than  three  feet  deep  in  any  part^ 
The  water  was  beautifully  transparent,  and 
flowing  over  a  dark  pebbly  bed  ;  it  still  de- 
served its  modern  name  of  the  Black  Water, 
as  distinguishing  it  from  the  muddy  yellow- 
ness of  rivers  in  general. 

In  continuing  our  march  on  the  same 
easterly  course,  the  crowds  of  passengers 
whom  we  met  coming  from  the  eastward 
were  much  greater  than  I  had  ever  noticed 
on  the  Bagdad  road,  and  were  almost  equal 
to  those  seen  on  the  great  roads  near  Lon- 
don, though  there  appeared  to  be  no  particu- 
lar cause  for  a  greater  concourse  now  than 
on  any  ordinary  occasion.  The  number  of 
the   villages,   the   multitudes    of  flocks  and 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  241 

herds,  and  the  sounds  of  people  whom  we 
saw  every  where  around  us,  gave  a  highly 
favourable  idea  of  the  activity  and  improv- 
ing state  of  the  population  of  the  country  in 
this  immediate  neighbourhood  at  least. 

In  some  caravans  which  passed  us,  were 
camels  of  a  much  larger  size  than  any  I  had 
ever  seen  before ;  and  as  different  in  their 
forms  and  proportions  from  the  camel  of 
Arabia,  as  a  mastiff  is  from  a  greyhound. 
These  camels  had  large  heads  and  thick 
necks  ;  from  the  under  edge  of  which  de- 
pended a  long,  shaggy,  dark  brown  hair ;  their 
legs  were  short,  their  joints  thick,  and  their 
carcases  and  haunches  round  and  fleshy, 
though  they  stood  at  least  a  foot  higher 
from  the  ground  than  the  common  camels 
of  the  Arabian  Desert.  As  they  were  laden 
with  heavy  burthens,  I  could  not  discover 
whether  they  had  the  two  humps  which  dis- 
tinguish the  Bactrian  camel ;  or  one  only, 
like  the  camel  of  Arabia  ;  the  only  answer 
given  to  our  enquiry,  by  their  drivers,  being, 
that  they  were  of  the  Turcoman  breed  from 
the  north.* 

*  The  current  opinion  entertained   in  Europe  is,    that  the 
animal  with  one  hump  is  the  camel,  and  the  animal  with  two 
VOL.    I.  R 


242  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

Among  a  party  of  well-dressed  and  well- 
mounted  Persian  gentlemen,  who  appeared 
to  be  returning  from  an  excursion  of  plea- 
sure, rather  than  to  be  on  a  journey,  I  was 
surprised  to  see  a  gaily  dressed  female  un- 
veiled, riding  a  spirited  horse,  on  a  man's 
saddle,  and  talking  and  laughing  loudly  with 

humps  the  dromedary.  This,  however,  is  an  error.  The  Bac- 
trian  camel,  which  is  the  largest,  strongest,  and  heaviest  spe- 
cies, and  is  covered  with  a  thick,  shaggy,  dark  brown  hair, 
fitting  him  to  endure  the  rigours  of  a  northern  climate,  has 
two  humps  invariably  ;  while  the  Arabian  camel,  which  is  com- 
mon to  Africa,  Egypt,  Arabia,  Syria,  and  Mesopotamia,  and 
which  differs  from  the  Bactrian  in  being  less  fleshy  and  more 
slender  in  all  its  parts,  and  having  only  a  thin  covering  of  light 
fawn-coloured  hair,  has  invariably  one  hump  only.  The  dif- 
ference between  the  camel  and  the  dromedary  is  just  that 
which  forms  the  difference  between  the  cart-horse  and  the  race- 
horse :  the  former  is  trained  to  carry  burthens  ;  the  latter,  train- 
ed only  to  speed.  There  are,  therefore,  one-humped  camels 
and  one-humped  dromedaries,  as  well  as  two-humped  camels 
and  two-humped  dromedaries ;  the  only  difference  in  each  case 
being,  that  the  camel  is  the  beast  of  burthen,  and  the  drome- 
dary the  animal  of  speed.  The  former  name  is  pronounced 
indifferently,  either  Ghemel,  or  Jemel,  among  the  Arabs  :  the 
latter,  which  is  a  Greek  word,  is  unknown  among  them  :  the 
camels  trained  to  speed,  being  known  by  the  appellation  of  Hed- 
jeen  only.  The  rate  of  the  camel  seldom  exceeds  a  walk  of  three 
miles  an  hour ;  while  the  dromedary  or  hedjeen  will  ordinarily 
perform  ten,  and  sometimes  trot  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  miles 
an  hour>  Each  will  bear  great  fatigue,  and  sustain  themselves 
for  a  long  while  without  food  or  water. 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  243 

those  ^around  her.  As  we  approached  nearer, 
she  asked  us  with  great  freedom  whither  we 
were  going;  and  wished  us  a  safe  journey, 
under  the  protection  of  God.  Ismael  re- 
plied, "  Al  UUah  !"  and,  perhaps  chiefly  by 
the  sound  of  his  voice,  she  immediately  re- 
cognised him  as  an  old  acquaintance.  The 
meeting,  the  salutations,  the  caresses,  though 
all  speedily  ended,  as  we  were  both  on  our 
way  in  opposite  directions,  were  singular 
enough.  This  lady  had  been  the  most  noted 
Suzemaneeah,  or  courtezan,  of  Kermanshah, 
for  many  years,  and  had  held  sovereign  sway 
ever  since  the  Shah  Zade  himself  had  re- 
sided here.  In  her  youth,  it  was  said  that 
she  was  a  great  favourite  of  that  prince  ; 
but  she  had  now  grown  too  old  for  the  taste 
of  royalty  in  the  East,  though  she  would 
have  been  still  young  enough  for  the  com- 
panion of  some  distinguished  personages  of 
the  West,  "  being  fat,  fair,  and  forty."  It 
was  said  that  she  had  been  with  these  gen- 
tlemen at  some  retired  seat  or  garden  in  the 
country,  and  had  acted  as  procuress  for  the 
party. 

As   we   advanced  easterly,  we  drew  pro- 
gressively nearer  to  the  range  of  Bisitoon  on 

R  2 


244  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

our  left,  which  rose  abruptly  from  the  plain, 
and  terminated  in  ragged  masses  and  points, 
the  most  elevated  summit  of  which  seemed 
to  be  about  three  thousand  feet  from  the 
base.  The  great  body  of  the  mountain  was 
apparently  of  limestone,  judging  from  the 
greater  portion  of  the  fragments  below  ;  but 
among  these  were  pieces  of  a  stone  like  por- 
phyry, some  of  speckled  red,  others  of  green- 
ish white,  and  others  of  speckled  black,  of 
all  of  which  I  preserved  specimens.*  The 
plain  here  became  contracted  on  our  right, 
though  the  southern  range  of  Kooh  Seeah, 
leading  south-easterly  from  Kermanshah, 
had  continued  to  extend  in  that  direction, 
by  which  we  widened  our  distance  from  it ; 
yet  there  now  intervened  between  us  and 
that  range  a  second  inferior  mass  of  hills, 
forming  a  boundary  on  our  right.  Many 
villages  were  still  seen,  though  the  soil  now 
seemed  less  fertile  and  less  cultivated  than 
before. 

In  about  four  hours  after  our  departure 
from  the  city  walls,  and  two  and  a  half  after 
our  crossing  the  Choaspes,  we  turned  off  the 

*  These  were  given  to  a  friend  in  India,  and  afterwards  sent 
to  the  Geological  Society  of  London. 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  245 

road  a  little  on  our  right,  to  drink  at  a 
spring  of  water  in  a  dell  of  fine  turf  grass. 
In  the  way  to  this,  we  crossed  over  a  large 
heap  of  ruins,  which  seemed  to  have  been  the 
site  of  an  ancient  castle.  There  had  been 
evidently  an  inner  citadel,  which  was  about 
a  hundred  feet  in  diameter,  and  several  por- 
tions of  the  square  bastions,  of  unbaked 
brick-work,  were  still  preserved  in  their  ori- 
ginal place.  The  form  of  this  inner  citadel 
appeared  nearly  circular  in  its  present  state, 
and  could  be  traced  all  round  ;  the  centre  of 
it  was  hollow,  or  deeper  than  the  walls  them- 
selves, but  seemed  to  have  been  originally  an 
open  space  unoccupied  by  buildings.  There 
were  evident  appearances  of  two  enceintes,  or 
outer  walls,  at  equal  distances,  surrounding 
the  inner  citadel ;  and  from  the  fragments  of 
brick  and  stone  scattered  beyond  these,  there 
might  once  have  been  still  more.  The  whole 
of  this  stood  but  a  few  yards  on  the  right  of 
the  high  road ;  and  immediately  opposite  to 
it,  on  the  left,  was  a  burying-ground  of  the 
peasants,  in  which  were  seen  fragments  of 
columns,  and  large  blocks  of  hewn  stone. 
These,  the  peasants  whom  we  met  and  ques- 
tioned on  the  subject,  told  us,  were  brought. 


246  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

from  the  opposite  ruins,  which  they  called 
Dey  Seboo,  and  spoke  of  as  a  place  of  great 
antiquity  ;  but  we  could  learn  no  tradition 
regarding  its  history,  or  the  age  of  its  de- 
struction. 

From  hence  we  continued  our  way  about 
east-north-east,  the  rays  of  the  sun  being 
scorchingly  hot,  the  sky  a  deep  blue,  with 
scattered  streaks  of  white  clouds,  and  the 
wind  a  perfect  gale  from  the  south-west, 
though  it  had  been  a  dead  calm  from  sunrise 
until  near  noon.  In  about  two  hours  more, 
gradually  turning  round  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain of  Bisitoon  in  a  north-easterly  direction, 
we  approached  towards  the  khan  of  that 
name,  and  entered  a  small  but  beautiful 
plain,  on  the  edge  of  which  it  stood. 

Just  opposite  to  the  khan,  at  about  a  fur- 
long to  the  north-west,  and  on  the  left  of  the 
road,  we  remarked  that  a  large  tablet  had 
been  smoothed  away  in  the  face  of  the  moun- 
tain's cliff,  which  we  turned  off  the  road  to 
examine.  It  was  too  near  the  highway  for 
me  to  suppose  that  there  would  be  any  thing 
new  to  discover  ;  yet,  while  we  were  approach- 
ing it,  I  indulged  the  idea  of  our  possibly 
finding  there  the  colossal  figure  of  Semiramis, 


TO    BISITOON   AND    KENGAWAR.  247 

attended  by  her  hundred  guards,  as  described 
by  the  ancients  to  have  been  here  sculptured 
in  the  rock.  The  mountain  rose  in  a  per- 
fect perpendicular  from  the  plain  to  the 
height  of  about  two  thousand  feet;  and  if 
there  were  any  part  of  it  from  whence  this 
Eastern  Queen  could  have  ascended  to  the 
summit  upon  her  baggage,  which  was  piled 
up  for  the  occasion,  as  mentioned  by  histo- 
rians, it  was  likely  to  have  been  here.* 

*  The  following  passage  from  Diodorus  Siculus  will  show  the 
nature  of  the  undertakings  entered  into  by  this  magnificent 
Queen : — 

^'  When  Semiramis  had  finished  all  her  works,  she  marched 
with  a  great  army  into  Media,  and  encamped  near  to  a  moun- 
tain called  Bagistan ;  there  she  made  a  garden  twelve  furlongs 
in  compass.  It  was  in  a  plain  champaigne  country,  and  had 
a  great  fountain  in  it,  which  watered  the  whole  garden.  Mount 
Bagistan  is  dedicated  to  Jupiter,  and  towards  one  side  of  the 
garden  has  steep  rocks  seventeen  furlongs  from  the  top  to  the 
bottom.  She  cut  out  a  piece  of  the  lower  part  of  the  rock,  and 
caused  her  own  image  to  be  carved  upon  it ;  and  a  hundred  of 
her  guards,  that  were  lanceteers,  standing  round  about  her. 
She  wrote  likewise  in  Syriac  letters  upon  the  rock,  that  Semi- 
ramis ascended  from  the  plain  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  by 
laying  the  packs  and  fardels  of  the  beasts  that  followed  her,  one 
upon  another. 

"  From  hence  she  marched  towards  Ecbatana,  and  arrived  at 
the  Mountain  Zarcheum,  which  being  many  furlongs  in  extent, 
and  full  of  steep  precipices  and  craggy  rocks,  there  was  no 
passing  but  by  long  and  tedious  windings  and   turnings.     To 


2l48  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

On  our  reaching  the  spot,  however,  the 
most  careful  examination  led  to  no  satisfac- 
tory result.  The  level  surface  in  question 
vras  evidently  wrought  smooth  by  the  hand 
of  man,  for  some  such  purpose,  but  aban- 
doned before  that  purpose  was  completed. 
A  space  of  not  less  than  a  hundred  feet  in 
length,  by  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in 
height,  had  been  cut  into  the  rock,  in  so  re- 
gular a  form,  as  to  make  it  appear,  at  a  lit- 
tle distance,  to  be  a  perfect  tablet.  The  ex- 
cavation, or  incision,  was  about  two  feet  be- 
neath the  level  of  the  outer  surface  of  the 

leave  therefore  behind  her  an  eternal  monument  of  her  name, 
and  to  make  a  short  cut  for  her  passage,  she  caused  the  rock 
to  be  hewn  down,  and  the  valleys  to  be  filled  up  with  earth  ;  and 
so,  in  a  sliort  time,  at  a  vast  expense,  laid  the  way  open  and 
plain,  which  to  this  day  is  called  Semiramis's  Way. 

"  Marching  away  from  hence,  she  came  to  Chaone,  a  city  of 
Media,  where  she  encamped  upon  a  rising  ground,  from  whence 
she  took  notice  of  an  exceeding  great  and  high  rock,  where  she 
made  another  very  great  garden,  in  the  middle  of  the  rock,  and 
built  upon  it  stately  houses  of  pleasure,  whence  she  might  both 
have  a  delightful  prospect  into  the  garden,  and  view  the  army 
as  they  lay  encamped  below  in  the  plain.  Being  much  de- 
lighted with  this  place,  she  stayed  here  a  considerable  time, 
giving  up  herself  to  all  kinds  of  pleasures  and  delights  ;  for 
she  forbore  marrying,  lest  she  should  be  deposed  from  the  go- 
vernment ;  and,  in  the  mean  time,  she  made  choice  of  the  hand- 
somest commanders  to  be  her  gallants  ;  but  after  they  had  lain 
with  her,  she  cut  off  their  heads."— Diorf.  Sic,  lib.  2,  cap.  1. 


To    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  249 

rock,  and  the  outlines  were  perfectly  smooth 
and  straight.  In  front  of  this  space  was  a 
platform  of  corresponding  dimensions,  sup- 
ported by  a  temporary  wall  of  loose  stones, 
and  a  sloping  buttress  of  rubbish.  About 
the  spot  were  large  hewn  blocks,  as  if  some 
building  were  intended  to  have  been  con- 
structed here  ;  and  the  tradition  of  the  peo- 
ple is,  that  Ferhad  was  employed  to  execute 
on  this  spot  some  grand  sculptured  work, 
which  was  interrupted  by  his  death. 

We  returned  with  some  disappointment  to 
the  khan,  and  took  up  our  quarters  there 
for  the  night.  This  is  a  large  building,  si- 
milar to  those  on  the  road  from  Bagdad  to 
Hillah,  and  from  the  same  city  to  Kerman- 
shah  ;  but  the  former  have  been  the  work 
of  kings  and  princes  in  successive  ages,  while 
this  was  erected  by  a  certain  Hadjee  Ali 
Khan,  a  private  individual,  whose  property 
lay  chiefly  in  this  quarter,  and  who  left  this 
behind  him  for  general  accommodation,  as  a 
work  of  piety  and  public  spirit.  A  long  in- 
scription in  Persian,  cut  on  marble  blocks,  on 
each  side  the  door  of  entrance,  commemo- 
rates this  act  of  munificence  ;  though  few  of 
those  who  arrive  fatigued  after  a  long  ride, 


250  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

stop  to  read  it  as  they  enter.  The  view 
from  within  the  khan  is  particularly  strik- 
ing ;  the  stupendous  cliffs  of  Bisitoon,  tower- 
ing immediately  over  it,  and  the  excavated 
space  in  its  south-east  point,  which  we  had 
been  to  examine,  are  perfectly  visible  above 
the  walls  of  the  building,  as  the  height  of 
the  tablet  is  not  less  than  seventy  or  eighty 
feet  from  the  base  of  the  rocky  cliff,  and  per- 
haps a  hundred  feet  above  the  general  level 
of  the  plain. 

Sept.  19th. — We  were  roused  to  prepare 
for  departure  before  it  was  yet  daylight ; 
but  as  our  companions  were  great  smokers 
of  the  nargeel,  which  takes  longer  to  fill,  to 
light,  and  to  dismantle,  than  the  pipe,  the 
sun  appeared  over  the  eastern  hills  as  we 
mounted. 

We  had  scarcely  gone  a  hundred  yards  on 
our  way,  before  another  apparent  tablet  on 
the  surface  of  the  mountain,  on  our  left,  at- 
tracted my  attention ;  and  though  this  was 
higher,  and  more  difficult  of  access,  than  the 
former,  and  though  the  wind  was  now  blow- 
ing a  hurricane,  the  air  piercing  cold,  and 
our  companions  impatient,  yet  I  was  deter- 
mined to  alight  and  take  a  closer  view. 


TO   BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAIl.  251 

As  we  drew  near,  I  could  perceive  it  to  be 
a  long  inscription  of  twelve  lines,  in  the 
Persian  language,  but  the  Arabic  character, 
contained  within  a  tablet,  executed  with 
great  care.  The  characters  were  of  the  best 
form,  and  deeply  engraved ;  and  between 
each  line  of  the  inscription  was  drawn  a  deep 
and  distinct  incision,  for  the  *  purpose  of 
marking  their  separation. 

My  Dervish,  who  read  this  with  facility, 
found  it  related  to  the  khan  at  which  we 
had  slept.  It  recorded  the  name  and  vir- 
tues of  its  founder,  Hadjee  Ali,  the  date  and 
purpose  of  its  erection,  as  well  as  the  boun- 
daries of  the  lands  in  the  plain,  the  rents 
and  products  of  which  were  to  be  appropri- 
ated to  its  support ;  adding,  that  if  there  re- 
mained any  surplus  from  these  rents,  after 
paying  the  establishment  of  the  caravanserai, 
it  was  to  be  sent  to  the  sepulchre  of  Imam 
Ali,  at  Kerbela. 

This  discovery  did  riot  interest  me  very 
deeply  ;  but  on  mounting  a  little  higher,  to 
have  a  more  distinct  view  of  some  written 
characters,  which  I  saw  but  imperfectly  from 
below,  I  found  they  were  two  long  lines,  in 
large  Greek  capitals,  which  had  formed  an 


252  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

inscription  over  a  group  of  sculptured  figures 
as  large  as  life,  occupying  a  smooth  space 
in  the  surface  of  the  rock.  Four  of  these 
figures  could  be  still  distinctly  traced,  and 
represented  men  in  long  robes,  executed  in 
bas-relief;  but,  from  age  and  the  decompo- 
sition of  the  rock,  these  were  much  decayed. 
The  very  centre  of  this  sculptured  story, 
whatever  it  might  have  been,  was  chosen  for 
the  smoothing  away  the  tablet,  to  contain 
the  long  Persian  inscription  described ;  so 
that  some  of  the  figures,  and  both  the  lines 
of  the  earlier  Greek  inscription,  had  for  this 
purpose  been  cut  through  and  defaced. 

I  resolved  to  copy,  however,  such  of  the 
characters  as  I  could  make  out,  and  applied 
to  Ismael  for  my  inkstand  ;  a  small  sack, 
containing  this,  with  all  our  coffee  appa- 
ratus, and  some  articles  in  hourly  demand, 
being  always  kept  in  his  charge,  in  order 
that  they  might  not  be  subject  to  the  exami- 
nation of  curious  eyes  while  I  was  otherwise 
employed.  My  mortification  was  extreme 
on  learning  from  him,  that  the  sack  and  all 
its  contents  had  been  lost  during  our  stay  in 
the  khan ;  nor  did  it  lessen  that  mortifica- 
tion to  hear  him  express  his  belief  that  our 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  253 

new  companions  were  most  probably  the  steal- 
ers of  it.  I  had  neither  pencil,  knife,  nor 
other  implements,  by  which  I  could  even 
scratch  these  letters  down  on  any  substance ; 
and,  as  our  companions  were  already  far 
ahead  of  us  in  the  march,  there  was  no  hope 
of  recovering  the  lost  sack  from  them,  for 
my  present  purpose  at  least.  The  copying 
of  these  Greek  lines  was  therefore  abandoned 
with  regret  to  some  more  fortunate  traveller 
who  might  follow  in  the  same  track. 

We  were  descending  from  the  cliff  to  re- 
mount, when,  on  turning  round  and  casting 
my  eyes  upward  to  observe  the  magnificent 
height  of  this  perpendicular  cliff,  other  ap- 
pearances of  sculptured  figures  caught  my 
attention  still  higher  up  than  the  former. 
These  already  described  occupied  a  piece  of 
the  rock  which  faced  the  south-east.  Those 
above  were  in  a  small  rock  facing  the  north- 
east, and  in  a  situation  very  difficult  to  be 
seen  from  below.  I  clambered  up  to  these 
last  with  great  impatience,  and  at  the  risk 
of  breaking  my  neck  by  two  severe  falls  in 
the  way ;  while  the  Dervish  concluded,  as  he 
said,  that  I  was  in  pursuit  of  the  Philoso- 
pher's Stone,  when  he  saw  that,  on  recover- 


254  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

ing  from  these  falls,  I  still  persevered  in  try- 
ing  to  scale  the  craggy  cliff  again. 

On  getting  as  near  to  this  object  of  my 
pursuit  as  was  practicable,  I  perceived  a 
smaller  tablet  than  the  lower  one,  surmount- 
ed by  the  figure  of  a  winged  circle  or  globe, 
with  something  hanging  from  it  downward ; 
the  whole  resembling  the  emblem  by  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  sometimes  represented 
under  the  form  of  a  dove,  with  expanded 
wings  and  tail,  but  no  head.  This  singular 
emblem  here  overshadowed  a  line  of  about 
thirteen  human  figures,  half  the  size  of  life, 
well  sculptured,  and  well  preserved,  and  ap- 
pearing to  represent  the  bringing  in  of  bound 
c£tptives,  and  their  presentation  to  a  conquer- 
ing chief. 

Below  this  sculptured  story  were  several 
oblong  and  perpendicular  tablets,  filled  with 
inscriptions,  in  small,  thick,  square  letters, 
void  of  curve,  and  more  like  Hebrew,  Chal- 
daic,  Syriac,  or  Sanscrit,  than  any  of  the 
other  ancient  Oriental  characters.  The  foot 
of  this  was  perfectly  inaccessible  for  many 
yards ;  and,  at  the  distance  from  whence  I 
saw  it,  I  could  make  out  nothing  distinct,  ex- 
cept that  the  tablets  were  planed  smoothly 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  ^55 

down,  and  their  surfaces  then  covered  with 
letters  of  some  kind  or  other.  If  this  was 
writing,  as  I  believed  it  to  be,  there  could 
not  have  been  less  than  two  or  three  hun- 
dred lines  in  all  the  different  compartments ; 
but  of  this,  much  was  injured  by  time,  though 
the  figures  above  were  still  remarkably  dis- 
tinct. 

Whether  either,  or  which  of  these,  related 
to  the  visits  of  Semiramis  to  this  place,  it 
was  not  easy  to  decide.  The  situation  and 
the  style  of  the  designs  would  rather  justify 
the  belief  of  these  sculptures  being  those 
before  adverted  to  ;  while  the  number  of  the 
figures  and  their  apparent  occupation  are  at 
variance  with  the  account  given  of  the  sculp- 
tures in  question  by  the  ancients. 

This  mountain  of  Bisitoon  is  thought,  by 
most  of  the  learned,  to  correspond  with  the 
mountain  of  Baghistan ;  in  which,  accord- 
ing to  Diodorus  Siculus,  and  Isidore  of 
Charax,  Semiramis,  the  Queen  of  Babylon, 
caused  her  figure  to  be  sculptured,  attended 
by  a  hundred  guards.  After  quitting  Ba- 
bylonia, where,  according  to  the  historian, 
she  had  executed  many  marvellous  works,  to 
enter  Media,  with  ah  army,  she  halted  at 


256  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

Mount  Baghistan,  which  was  sacred  to  Ju- 
piter, and  made  there  a  garden  of  twelve 
stadia,  in  a  plain  watered  by  a  stream, 
whose  source  was  near.  The  mountain  rose 
to  the  height  of  seventeen  stadia.  Accom- 
panying her  figure,  and  those  of  her  armed 
guards,  was  an  inscription  in  Syriac,  which 
recorded  that  by  piling  up  the  baggage  with 
which  her  animals  were  laden,  this  Queen 
mounted  on  it  from  the  plain  to  the  summit 
of  the  hill. 

There  are  several  of  these  features  which 
are  in  strict  correspondence  with  the  actual 
situation  of  the  place.  The  plain  of  Chum 
Chemal,  which  lies  to  the  eastward  of  this 
mountain,  and  is  thus  spread  out  at  its  feet^ 
is  about  three  miles  in  breadth,  and  is  there- 
fore capable  of  containing  the  garden  of 
twelve  stadia  spoken  of;  while  through  it 
flow  from  the  northward  the  streams  of  Ko- 
meshah  and  Zerdoo,  both  of  considerable 
size,  going  ultimately  into  the  Kara  Soo. 
Towards  this  plain  the  mountain  rises  in  a 
perpendicular  cliff*  of  nearly  two  thousand 
feet  high,  and  presents  the  most  imposing 
aspect ;  but  in  no  other  part  of  the  range 
is    the  rise  so  abrupt,  or  the  perpendicular 


TO   BISITOON   AND    KENGAWAR.  257 

height  so  great.  Its  singularity  in  this  parti- 
cular has  obtained  this  part  its  present  ap- 
pellation, from  "  Sitoon,"  a  pillar,  like  which 
it  rises  from  the  plain  ;  while  the  rest  of  the 
mountain  has  other  names  assigned  to  its  re- 
spective parts,  as  Paroo,  Tauk-e-Bostan,  &c. 

The  height  of  seventeen  stadia  may  pro- 
bably be  an  error  in  estimation,    or  in  the 
transcript  of   figures  :  it  is  sufficient,    how- 
ever,  that   the    perpendicular    rise    of    the 
mountain   towards  the  garden  is  unusually 
great;  and  this  peculiarity  still  remains,  as 
a  cliff  of  two  thousand  feet  hanging  over  a 
plain  is    no  ordinary  feature   here  or    else- 
where.     It  was  perhaps  the  isolated  situa- 
tion of  the  whole  mass,  with  the  grand  and 
terrific  appearance  of  this  its  eastern  part, 
which   obtained  for  the  mountain   the    dis- 
tinction  of  being  sacred    to    Jupiter,  since, 
bare  and  forbidding  as  is  its  aspect,    there 
is  much  of  majesty  and  sublimity  in  its  frown. 
Diodorus  Siculus,  in  describing  the  route 
of  Alexander  from  Susa  to  Ecbatana,  speaks 
of  Baghistan  as  a  most  delicious  country,  and 
fit  for  the  recreation  of  the  Gods  themselves. 
In    this    respect   also,  the    situation  is  still 
consistent ;   for,  with  such   mountain  boun- 

VOL.    I.  s 


258  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

daries,  so  fine  a  plain,  such  an  abundance  of 
excellent  water,  and  so  pure  an  air,  there  is 
no  charm  of  Nature  that  might  not  be  com- 
manded here. 

De  Sacy,  in  his  "  Memoires  sur  diverses  An- 
tiquites  de  la  Perse,"  has  proved  satisfactorily 
that  the  caves  and  sculptures  at  the  Tauk-e- 
Bostan  are  more  in  harmony  with  the  tra- 
ditions of  the  country,  which  assign  them  to 
Khosrou,  Shirine,  and  Shapoor,  than  they  are 
with  the  works  of  Semiramis  alluded  to.  It 
is  probable,  indeed,  as  he  has  suggested,  that 
there  are  still  other  sculptures  in  this  moun- 
tain, not  generally  known,  among  which  the 
Babylonian  Queen  and  her  hundred  guards 
might  be  found.  From  the  remarkable  cor- 
respondence of  the  spot,  I  have  little  doubt 
but  that  those  which  we  had  seen  this  morn- 
ing, were  really  the  works  alluded  to,  and 
imperfectly  or  erroneously  described  by  an 
historian  who  had  only  heard  of  the  sculp- 
tures and  their  general  character  and  object, 
without  seeing  them  himself. 

From  this  place  we  continued  our  way 
nearly  north,  for  about  an  hour,  when  we 
turned  to  the  east  and  crossed  the  river 
Komeshah,  over  a  bridge  of  six  arches.    This 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  259 

stream  has  its  source  to  the  northward,  with- 
in the  limits  of  the  plain,  and  goes  from 
hence  south  and  south-easterly,  until  it  falls 
into  the  Kara  Soo.  Its  waters  are  beauti- 
fully transparent,  and  pure  and  sweet  to 
the  taste. 

Continuing  our  course  easterly  from  hence, 
we  passed  over  a  fine  soil,  watered  by  a  second 
stream,  called  Aub-Zerdoo,  coming  from  the 
north-east,  and  falling  into  the  Komeshah, 
besides  several  smaller  brooks  of  fine  clear 
water,  perhaps  leading  from  these  artificially, 
as  they  now  irrigated  grounds  sown  with  rice 
and  maize.  On  our  right,  or  about  a  mile  to 
the  southward  of  us,  and  nearly  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  plain,  was  a  large  castle,  apparently 
of  modern  structure,  bearing  the  name  of  the 
plain  itself,  namely,  Chum  Chemal. 

It  was  about  noon  when  we  reached  Saana, 
a  large  village  seated  among  gardens,  on  the 
slope  of  a  hill,  and  having  good  water  be- 
fore it  in  the  plain.  The  great  public  khans, 
or  caravanserai,  are  now  discontinued,  that  of 
Bisitoon  being  the  last  to  the  eastward;  so 
that  passengers  are  obliged  to  seek  for  shelter 
among  the  villagers,  or  sleep  in  the  open  air. 
We  halted  here  about  half  an  hour,  chiefly 
s  2 


260  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

to  learn  the  practicability  of  reaching  a 
more  advanced  station  of  halt  before  night ; 
on  ascertaining  which,  we  set  out  again  on 
our  way. 

Our  companions  insisting  upon  going  by 
another  route  more  southerly  than  the  one 
we  had  chosen,  we  here  separated,  and  con- 
tinued our  course  about  east-north-east,  over 
gently-rising  ground.  We  had  not  proceed- 
ed far,  however,  before  we  met  a  party  of 
twelve  persons,  among  whom  were  two  wo- 
men and  an  old  man ;  the  whole  of  them  on 
foot,  and  all  bitterly  bewailing  their  fate. 
On  enquiring  into  the  cause  of  their  sorrow, 
we  found  that,  about  two  miles  distant,  on 
the  road  we  were  pursuing,  a  party  of  four 
horsemen  and  ten  men  on  foot  had  robbed 
them  all  of  whatever  was  worth  taking  away. 
The  old  man,  who  was  a  green-turbanned 
descendant  of  the  Prophet,  had  lost  a  fine 
mare,  with  all  her  lading ;  and  the  women, 
both  of  whom  were  his  wives,  had  been  dis- 
mounted from  mules  also  charged  with  their 
personal  baggage.  The  others  had  been 
stripped  of  such  money  and  arms  as  they 
possessed,  and  all  were  made  sufficiently 
to  repent  their  own  want  of  union  and  firm- 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  2l6l 

ness  ;  as  they  were  divided  among  them- 
selves on  the  occasion,  and  no  attempt  at 
resistance  was  made.  They  conjured  us, 
who  were  now  only  three  in  number,  the 
Dervish  Ismael,  the  Faqueer  Zein-el-Abe- 
deen,  and  myself,  by  every  thing  sacred,  not 
to  go  on,  as  our  fate  was  certain  if  we  did. 

I  consulted  my  companions,  however,  and 
by  a  seasonable  appeal  to  their  pride,  made 
them  ashamed  to  confess  their  fears  :  then, 
going  through  the  form  of  swearing  the  one 
on  his  musket,  by  making  him  kiss  the  lock 
and  the  muzzle,  and  present  it  for  firing,  and 
binding  the  other  by  his  sword,  as  he  kissed 
its  hilt  and  point,  and  directed  it  upwards  to 
heaven,  that  we  should  all  stand  or  fall  to- 
gether, we  went  on  in  a  dead  silence  for 
nearly  an  hour. 

At  length  the  very  party  who  had  been 
minutely  described  to  us,  appeared  approach- 
ing towards  us  from  ahead ;  the  four  horse- 
men kept  the  centre  of  the  main  road,  six  of 
those  on  foot  were  on  the  high  ground  on 
their  right,  and  four  on  the  low  plain  on  their 
left.  They  were  yet  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  off;  and  between  us  both,  but  closer 
to    our   own    position,   were    several    goats- 


262  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

hair  tents  of  shepherds  near  the  road.  We 
made  no  halt ;  but  as  we  passed  these  tents, 
several  ill-looking  fellows,  armed  with  blud- 
geons, hoes,  and  hatchets,  came  out  of  them, 
and  intercepted  us,  by  forming  a  line  right 
across  our  path.  This  was  danger  from  a 
quarter  that  we  had  not  at  all  expected  ;  and 
as  the  eyes  of  those  farther  on,  whom  we 
now  believed  to  be  aided  by  those  near,  as 
colleagues,  were  no  doubt  fixed  upon  us,  we 
determined  to  push  through  this  first  ob- 
stacle, if  only  to  show  them  that  we  were 
prepared  for  the  second.  Accordingly,  draw- 
ing one  of  my  pistols,  which  I  held  with 
the  bridle  in  my  left  hand,  and  poising 
my  spear  high  in  my  right,  I  set  off  at  full 
gallop,  and  my  companions  steadily  fol- 
lowed me. 

We  succeeded  completely  in  breaking  the 
line  of  our  enemies,  one  of  whom  fell,  and 
was  trampled  on  by  my  horse  ;  another  had 
a  deep  wound  in  the  side,  and  his  garments 
torn  to  ribbands  by  my  spear ;  and  a  third 
received  a  cut  from  the  sword  of  the  Fa- 
queer,  who  came  last  in  the  train ;  but  no 
shots  were  fired,  those  being  reserved  for  fu- 
ture use.     The  horsemen  ahead,  seeing  this. 


TO   BISITOON   AND    KENGAWAR.  263 

made  a  bold  push  towards  us ;  and,  without 
at  all  checking  our  reins,  we  met  the  shock 
on  a  gallop,  by  which  the  Faqueer  and  two 
of  our  opponents,  with  whom  he  had  come 
in  contact,  were  unhorsed.    I  myself  received 
a  slight  spear  wound  in  the  side,  but  had 
the  satisfaction  to  unhorse  two  opponents ; 
one  by  the  shock  of  meeting,  and  the  power 
of  my  lance,  and  the  other  by  a  close  en- 
counter with  the  sabre.     The  men  on  foot 
were  evidently  afraid  to  draw  near ;  and  they 
could  do  us  no  harm  at  a  distance,  their  only 
weapons  being  large  bludgeons  and  hatchets. 
The  Faqueer  remounted  with  great  alacrity, 
and  the  Dervish  behaved  steadily  throughout 
the  whole  affair.     We  therefore  caught  this 
opportunity  of  the  general  panic,  to  raise  our 
tone  as  conquerors,  and  to  insist  upon  our 
opponents,  who  were  altogether  five  times  as 
numerous  as  ourselves,  instantly  going  on  to- 
wards their  colleagues  at  the  tents ;  adding, 
that  whoever  among  them  dared  to  look  back 
on  the  way,  should  meet  a  harder  fate  than 
even  the  wife  of  Lot. 

We  followed  up  our  triumph  by  pushing 
on  one  of  the  horsemen  by  the  butt  of  the 
musket^  and  another  by  the  end  of  the  spear  ; 


^64  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

and,  discharging  our  pieces  over  their  heads, 
created  a  sufficient  degree  of  terror  in  all  par- 
ties most  effectually  to  hasten  their  escape 
from  us. 

We  now  went  over  bare  land,  still  keeping 
our  course  to  the  eastward,  and  ascended  a 
high  range  of  steep  and  barren  hills ;  from 
the  summit  of  which  we  noted  the  bearing  of 
Jebel  Bisitoon  to  be  west  by  north,  by  com- 
pass. From  hence  we  went  down  over  a 
rocky  road,  coming  out  on  a  plain  below, 
considerably  above  the  level  of  that  which  we 
had  left,  before  crossing  the  range.  On  our 
right  was  a  large  village,  and  near  it  a  castle 
of  modern  structure,  standing  on  an  artificial 
ground  of  more  ancient  date.  The  name  of 
the  village  we  could  not  learn,  but  the  castle 
was  known  to  both  my  companions  as  the 
Giaour  Khallah-se,  or  Castle  of  the  Infidels. 
We  could  learn  no  farther  particulars  re- 
garding it  than  its  name. 

From  hence  we  ascended  to  the  north-east 
over  barren  land,  and  overtook  a  party  of 
Suzemaneeah,  or  courtezans,  one  of  whom 
was  not  niore  than  twelve  years  old,  and 
beautiful  as  an  angel.  Their  place  of  resi- 
dence or  retirement  was  pointed  out  to  us 


TO   BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  265 

by  them,  in  the  hills  on  our  left,  being  an 
isolated  cottage  remote  from  all  other  dwell- 
ings. In  answer  to  the  enquiries  of  the  Der- 
vish and  Faqueer,  they  assured  us,  laugh- 
ingly, that  when  we  returned  this  way,  they 
should  be  most  happy  to  entertain  us  in  the 
manner  which  our  good  appearance  bespoke 
us  to  deserve  ;  but  that  for  the  present  they 
had  guests  engaged,  whom  they  had  too  high 
a  sense  of  honour  to  disappoint. 

We  now  came  to  a  second  plain ;  in  pass- 
ing which,  we  crossed  over  a  long,  low  bridge 
of  many  arches,  leading  over  a  marshy  tract. 
To  the  north-east  of  this,  about  a  mile,  was  a 
small  village,  with  gardens  and  modern  walls  ; 
and  beyond  it,  three  or  four  miles  in  the 
plain,  a  large  castle,  ruined  and  deserted. 
This  was  called  Boat  Khana  Jemsheed,  or  the 
Idol  dwelling  of  Jemsheed  : — of  this  we  could 
learn  no  more  than  the  name. 

It  was  about  an  hour  from  hence,  and  past 
sunset,  when  we  reached  Kengawar,  having 
been  nearly  twelve  hours  on  the  road ;  our 
course  being  about  east  by  north,  and  the  dis- 
tance forty  miles.  There  was  no  khan,  or 
place  of  public  reception,  here  ;  and  the  go- 
vernor had  given  to  one  of  his  subjects  a 


266  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

monopoly  of  selling  corn  for  the  horses  of 
passengers,  so  that  we  became  completely  at 
the  mercy  of  this  man.  He  refused,  indeed, 
to  let  us  enter  the  town  at  all ;  obliging  us  to 
sleep  below,  on  a  marshy  ground,  with  some 
Persian  robbers,  who  were  going  as  pilgrims 
to  the  tombs  of  the  Imams  ;  and,  disagreeable 
as  this  was,  there  was  no  remedy  for  it :  we 
therefore  bore  it  in  patient  submission. 

Sept.  20th. — The  night  was  so  cold  and 
stormy,  and  a  vigilant  look-out  after  our 
horses,  among  an  acknowledged  herd  of  holy 
thieves,  was  so  necessary,  that  we  obtained 
not  a  wink  of  sleep.  When  we  remounted 
in  the  morning,  we  went  up  through  the 
town,  into  which  we  had  been  prevented 
from  entering  on  the  preceding  evening ;  but 
as  our  passage  through  it  was  rapid,  there 
was  no  time  afforded  for  the  examination  of 
its  minuter  features.  Its  general  aspect  was 
all  that  could  be  caught. 

Kengawar  is  seated  on  the  side  of  a  gentle 
hill,  at  the  north-western  edge  of  a  fine 
plain,  and  has  within  its  site  several  emi- 
nences and  depressions.  In  its  present  state, 
it  contains  about  two  thousand  dwellings, 
with  two  mosques  for  the  population,  who 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  267 

are  all  Sheeahs.  Most  of  those  dwellings  are 
well  built ;  and  besides  these  there  are  ex- 
tensive and  well-furnished  bazaars,  the  shops 
of  which  have  their  doors  secured  by  long 
diagonal  bars  of  iron,  going  from  the  locks 
obliquely  across  them,  in  a  way  that  we  had 
not  noted  any  where  else. 

The  town  appears  to  have  been  once 
much  larger  than  at  present,  as  vestiges  of 
buildings,  and  the  wreck  of  human  labour, 
are  seen  in  several  places  beyond  the  limits 
of  its  present  site.  These,  however,  appear 
to  be  of  a  higher  antiquity  than  the  Moham- 
medan era.  The  most  remarkable  feature  of 
this  kind  is  the  portion  of  a  large  building, 
nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  present  town, 
and  called  the  Castle  of  the  Infidels.  To 
one  part  of  it  is  attached  a  new  mosque,  the 
outer  enclosure  of  which  is  continued  from 
the  castle's  walls.  The  foundation  of  the 
western  front,  with  the  surbasement  of  the 
building  there,  and  a  range  of  marble  co- 
lumns still  standing  on  it,  apparently  in 
their  original  place,  are  all  perfect,  and  are 
undoubtedly  the  work  of  a  people  either 
coeval  with,  or  antecedent  to,  the  visit  of  the 
Greeks  to  this  country.     There  is   nothing 


268  FROM    KERMANSHAH, 

Saracen  in  all  its  appearance;  and  if  not  a 
work    of   western    conquerors,    it  is    undis- 
putably  of  the  early  Persian  or  Median  em- 
pire.    The  walls  are  formed  of  large  well- 
hewn  stones  of  a  yellowish  colour,  and  the 
surbasement  of  the  front  is  terminated  by  a 
plain  moulding :  the  white  marble  columns, 
as  they  now   stand,   are  of  perfectly   plain 
shafts,   without    base   or    capital ;    they  are 
from  four  to  five  feet  in  diameter,  of  a  low 
proportion  in  height,  and  in  this  respect,  as 
well  as  in  their  intercolumniation,  approach- 
ing nearer  to  the  Doric  order  than  any  other. 
These  pillars  are  now  built  up  by  portions  of 
modern  wall  between  them,  as  is  seen  in  the 
front  of  the  great  Temple  of  the  Sun  at  Baal- 
beck,  and  in  most  of  the  temples  of  Egypt ; 
many  of  which,  like  this  ancient  edifice,  are 
inhabited  by  several  poor  families. 

The  situation  of  whatever  city  might  have 
occupied  the  site  of  Kengawar,  must  have 
been  always  a  most  agreeable  one  :  a  fine  and 
extensive  plain  before  it,  on  the  east  and 
south ;  a  deliciously  cool  air  in  the  summer, 
at  an  elevation  of  nearly  four  thousand  feet 
from  the  level  of  the  sea ;  a  good  supply  of 
water   for   gardens   and   cultivation,   and   a 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KUNGAWAR.  269 

temperature  suited  to  the  production  of  al- 
most all  kinds  of  fruits.  The  edifice  whose 
remains  are  thus  imperfectly  described,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  palace  rather  than  a 
castle ;  but  its  exact  form,  or  the  precise 
extent  of  its  enceinte,  would  be  difficult  to 
be  made  out  at  this  remote  period. 

The  few  features  that  are  detailed  in  an- 
cient authors  of  Ecbatana  were  still  present 
to  my  mind,  and  many  of  them  seemed  to 
me  to  correspond  with  the  local  peculiarities 
of  this  situation  ;  but  it  was  yet  necessary  to 
see  Hamadan,  and  estimate  its  claims,  before 
any  decisive  opinion  could  be  formed  on  this 
subject. 

D'Anville  fixes  on  this  place  as  the  site  of 
Concobar,^  and  is  followed  in  this  opinion  by 
Macdonald  Kinnier.  This  last  writer  says, 
"  We  read  in  history  of  three  places  which 
will  in  some  degree  apply  to  the  situation 
and  description  of  Kengawar:  the  Palace 
near  Ecbatana,  where  Antigonus  retired  after 
the  defeat  by  Eumenes ;  the  Temple  of  Ju- 
piter Belus,  in  Elymais,  plundered  by  Anti- 
ochus  the  Great,  to  pay  the  Roman  tribute  ; 

*  Compendium  of  Ancient  Geography, 


8^70  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

and  the  town  of  Concobar.  As  the  exact 
position,  however,  of  the  Royal  Palace  is  not 
stated  by  Diodorus,  and  the  country  of  the 
Elymais  is  considerably  to  the  south  of  Ken- 
gawar,  I  am  inclined,  from  the  striking  simi- 
larity of  name — (for  the  b  and  the  v  are 
continually  pronounced  alike) — to  give  the 
preference  to  Concobar."^ 

There  are  several  errors,  however,  in  these 
data,  as  will  be  hereafter  shown  ;  and  the 
conclusions  from  them  are  of  course  equally 
erroneous.  Antiochus  the  Great  being  com- 
pelled to  retire  beyond  Mount  Taurus,  and 
to  pay  a  fine  of  two  thousand  talents  to  the 
Romans,  to  which  his  revenues  were  une- 
qual^ attempted  to  plunder  the  Temple  of 
Belus  in  Stisiana,  which  so  incensed  the  in- 
habitants that  they  killed  him  with  all  his 
followers.  His  son,  the  fourth  Antiochus, 
surnamed  Epiphanes,  or  the  Illustrious,  at- 
tempted to  plunder  Persepolis,  but  without 
effect.  Diodorus  and  Justin  say  that  Antio- 
chus Epiphanes  having  learned  that  a  Tem- 
ple of  Belus,  in  the  Province  of  Elymais, 
contained  a  great  treasure,  he  entered  it  du- 

*  Geograph.  Memoir  of  the  Persian  Empire,  4to.  p.  IdO. 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  271 

ring  the  night,  and  carried  off  all  its  riches. 
Others  assert  that  this  Temple  was  conse- 
crated to  Diana.  Tacitus  says,  merely,  that 
there  was  a  Temple  of  that  Goddess  in  Per- 
sia, and  Strabo  adds  that  one  of  the  Parthian 
Kings  carried  off  from  it  ten  thousand  ta- 
lents, and  that  the  Temple  was  called  Zara. 
But  Elymais  was  the  Jewish  name  for  Per- 
sepolis:  from  Elam,  their  name  for  Persia,  ge- 
nerally ;  and  it  was  to  the  Temple  of  Diana 
there,  that  the  views  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes 
was  directed  ;  so  that,  besides  the  confound- 
ing the  situation  of  these  places,  there  seems 
to  be  no  sufficient  grounds  for  fixing  the 
Temple  of  Diana  at  Concobar,  as  is  done  in 
the  Map  of  Persia.* 

«  Diodorus  Siculus  says,  *'  The  river  Eulseus  forms  a  par- 
tition between  the  high  country  of  Persia  called  Elymais  and 
Susiana.  This  river  issues  out  of  the  country  of  Media,  and  in 
the  midst  of  its  course  becomes  lost  in  the  ground,  but  re- 
issuing again,  it  runs  through  Mesobatene,  and  environs  the 
Fort  and  Castle  of  Susa,  with  the  Temple  of  Diana,  which  is  had 
in  great  reverence  and  honour  above  all  other  temples  in  those 
parts ; — indeed,  the  very  river  itself  is  in  such  request,  and  the 
water  so  highly  regarded,  that  the  Kings  drink  of  no  other ; 
and  therefore  they  carry  it  with  them  a  great  way  into  the 
country." — B.  6.  c.  27.  From  one  part  of  this  passage,  it  would 
appear  that  the  Temple  of  Diana  was  in  the  lower  part  of  Per- 
sia, near  Susa  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  Elymais  is  repeatedly 


272  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

On  leaving  Kengawar  we  went  east  by 
north  over  the  plain,  and  after  we  had  gone 
about  a  mile  and  a-half,  we  had  opposite  to 
us,  on  our  right,  distant  less  than  a  mile,  a 
large  castle,  and  an  enclosed  town,  standing 
on  a  long  artificial  mound.  This  place  was 
called  Wellashgherd,  and  the  whole  is  said 
to  be  the  work  of  a  certain  Firooz  UUah 
Khan,  evidently  a  Moslem,  but  of  whose  age 
or  history  we  could  obtain  no  satisfactory 
details. 

From  hence  we  continued  to  go  east,  and 
east  by  north,  over  a  stony  and  barren  land, 
drinking  at  a  small  and  poor  village  in  the 
way :  and  in  about  six  hours  from  Kengawar 
we  came  on  a  fine  fertile  soil,  when,  after 
passing  through  many  gardens,  and  over 
streams  of  water,  we  entered  the  large  vil- 

said  to  be  the  higher  part  of  Persia,  and  the  Temple  of  Diana 
is  here  said  to  have  been  seated  in  Elymais.  Yet,  in  the  same 
chapter,  Elymais,  before  called  the  high  country  of  Persia,  is 
said  to  be  so  marshy,  and  abounding  with  water,  that  there 
was  no  way  through  it  without  making  a  great  circuit.  It  was 
filled  also  with  serpents  which  bred  in  the  rivers  flowing  through 
it.  This,  therefore,  could  only  apply  to  the  low  country  of  Su- 
siana  ;  and  the  Temple  of  Diana,  if  it  were  near  to  the  Castle 
of  Susa,  must  have  been  in  this  low  tract  of  country.  It  must 
be  confessed,  however,  that  the  ancient  geography  of  this  part 
is  extremely  confused,  and  often  baffles  all  conjecture. 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  273 

lage  of  Sadawah,  where  we  found  shelter  in 
a  private  house,  and  took  up  our  quarters. 

The  character  of  the  mountains  here  be- 
gins to  change  :  at  Bisitoon  and  Kengawar, 
they  were  chiefly  of  lime-stone  ;  but  here,  in 
the  plain,  we  had  large  round  masses  of  grey 
granite,  with  a  profusion  of  blue  slate  and 
white  quartz,  with  reddish  veins  in  it.  The 
walls  of  the  gardens  were  built  of  large 
square  masses  of  mud,  placed  edgewise  on 
each  other,  like  those  at  Damascus  ;  they  were 
lofty,  solid,  and  of  great  extent.  The  doors, 
however,  were  all  of  stone,  and  traversed  on 
a  pivot  from  their  own  body,  exactly  like 
those  of  the  buildings  and  dwellings  of  the 
Hauran  and  Syria.  The  largest  of  the  stone 
doors  here,  however,  did  not  exceed  three  or 
four  feet  square  ;  their  thickness  I  could  not 
ascertain,  as  most  of  them  were  closed.  They 
were  formed  each  of  one  solid  slab  of  blue 
slate,  perfectly  plain,  and  were  secured  by 
a  bolt  on  the  inside,  access  to  which  was  had 
by  thrusting  the  hand  through  a  circular  hole 
in  the  door  itself. 

The  village  of  Sadawah  occupies,  with  its 
numerous  gardens,  an  extent  of  scarcely  less 
than  three  or  four  miles  in  circuit ;  though 

VOL.   I.  T 


274  FROM    KERMANSHAH' 

the  population  is  thought  not  to  exceed 
four  thousand  souls.  It  stands  at  the  eastern 
extremity  of  the  plain  we  had  crossed,  and 
has  a  lofty  range  of  mountains  rising  above 
it  on  the  east,  over  which  the  road  to  Ha- 
madan  leads.  Its  gardens,  which  are  nu- 
merous, and  well-watered,  are  its  chief  sup- 
port, and  furnish  occupation  to  the  greater 
number  of  the  inhabitants.  In  Sadawah  it- 
self, I  was  struck  with  the  presence  of  a 
great  quantity  of  old  pottery,  in  fragments, 
scattered  over  the  town,  some  glazed  and 
coloured,  and  some  plain ;  but  I  noted  no 
vestiges  of  architecture,  or  remains  of  ancient 
buildings  there. 

About  a  mile  to  the  north-west  of  the 
town,  is  an  old  castle,  standing  on  a  very  high 
artificial  mound,  which  can  be  seen  from  a 
great  distance.  It  has  now  a  small  village, 
called  Khakree,  within  its  enclosure  ;  but  the 
age  of  the  castle  itself  we  could  not  ascertain. 
About  the  same  distance  in  the  opposite  quar- 
ter, or  a  mile  south-east  of  the  town,  is  a 
pretty  village,  called  Imam  Zade,  seated  on  a 
rising  ground  among  gardens,  but  thinly 
peopled. 

We  were  visited  at  our  quarters  in  this 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KEKGAWAR.  275 

place,  by  an  exceedingly  clever  Dervish, 
from  Herat,  in  Khorassan;  who,  as  well  as 
Ismael,  had  been  at  Bokhara,  the  chief  city 
of  the  Turcomans.  He  was  young  and  hand- 
some, but  most  fantastically  dressed ;  he  was 
a  perfect  master  of  the  Persian  poets,  entire 
odes  from  whose  works  he  repeated  by  heart, 
with  a  facility  that  surprised  me,  and  charm- 
ed Ismael,  to  whom  they  were  all  familiar, 
absolutely  into  tears.  The  politeness  of  our 
new  friend  was  of  the  most  polished  cast,  and 
could  have  been  acquired  only  in  the  best 
society. 

This  man,  who  spoke  sufficiently  of  Arabic 
for  us  to  converse  without  the  medium  of 
translation,  dressed  as  he  was  in  rags,  with 
bare  breast  and  arms,  uncovered  by  even  the 
fragment  of  a  shirt,  with  naked  legs^  and 
half-naked  thighs,  a  beard  and  mustachios 
never  trimmed,  thick  locks  of  hair  hanging 
uncombed  over  his  neck  and  forehead,  a 
fancy-coloured  painted  cap  on  his  head,  a 
large,  heavy,  and  rusty  chain  of  iron,  with 
brass  rings,  wound  round  his  arms,  and  a 
huge  ram's  horn  slung  across  his  shoulders 
by  a  thong,  talked  of  Plato,  Socrates,  and 
Aristotle,  whose    Systems  of  Ethics  he  had 

T    2 


276  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

read  in  Arabic,  with  a  freedom  and  accuracy 
that  proved  him  to  be  better  acquainted 
with  the  philosophy  of  these  sages,  than 
many  who  had  read  them  in  their  original 
languages. 

He  conceived  Aristotle  to  have  been  a 
man  of  the  greatest  mind,  but  too  uni- 
versally occupied  on  all  subjects  of  human 
enquiry.  Socrates,  he  thought,  was  too  fond 
of  the  neatness  and  pith  of  a  saying,  to  be 
always  just  or  excellent  in  its  meaning ;  but 
Plato  he  considered  to  be  the  prince  of  moral 
philosophers,  and  estimated  the  worth  of  his 
short  Treatise  on  the  Immortality  of  the 
Soul,  at  a  higher  rate  than  all  the  volumes 
which  all  the  other  philosophers  of  his  age 
and  country  had  written. 

This  Dervish  was  well  acquainted  with  all 
the  countries  he  had  visited,  and  they  in- 
cluded nearly  every  part  of  Asia.  His  con- 
versation was  most  interesting ;  and  I  re- 
gretted beyond  measure  the  being  unable  at 
the  moment  to  note  down  many  striking 
particulars,  which,  for  want  of  immediate  re- 
cord, soon  escaped  my  memory. 

Of  Herat,  the  place  of  his  birth  and  long 
residence,  he  repeated   the   tradition  of  its 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KENGAWAR.  277 

being  founded  by  one  of  the  Emirs  of  Neri- 
man,  the  hero  of  the  world,  who  bore  the 
name  of  Herat,  and  gave  it  to  this  city,  which 
after  being  once  destroyed,  was  rebuilt  by 
Alexander  the  Great.  He  repeated  to  us  the 
Persian  proverb,  which  says,  "  If  the  soil  of 
Ispahan,  the  fresh  air  of  Herat,  and  the 
water  of  Khorassan,  were  united  in  one  spot, 
the  inhabitants  of  it  would  never  die ;"  as 
well  as  that  which  says,  "  The  world  is  like 
a  vast  sea,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  district 
of  Khorassan  is  like  a  fine  oyster,  and  Herat 
is  the  pearl  contained  within  its  shell."  He 
enumerated  the  tombs  of  several  learned 
men  there,  and  spoke  of  many  wonderful 
works  of  the  infidels  in  the  neighbourhood, 
now  in  ruins ;  admitting  also,  that  in  the  dy- 
nasty of  the  Ghaurides,  there  were,  in  the 
city  of  Herat  itself  twelve  thousand  shops, 
six  thousand  public  baths,  caravanserais,  and 
water-mills,  three  hundred  and  fifty  colleges, 
five  temples  and  monasteries,  and  four  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  thousand  inhabited 
dwellings.  The  population  is  even  at  pre- 
sent greater  than  that  of  Bagdad  :  the  peo- 
ple are  chiefly  Soonnees,  and  are  still  famous 
for  their  works  in  metal,  particularly  swords, 


278  FROM    KERMANSHAH 

and  other  arms,  of  the  ancient  iron  of  Kho- 
rassan,  which  is  superior  to  that  of  Damascus. 

On  most  of  these  subjects  I  had  question- 
ed him  very  closely ;  and  though  politeness, 
and  a  wish  to  acquiesce  in  my  views,  might 
have  in  some  instances  influenced  his  re- 
plies, yet,  in  almost  all  cases,  he  evidently 
understood  the  subject  well,  and  hesitated, 
denied,  approved,  or  explained,  as  the  occa- 
sion seemed  to  him  to  require. 

The  Dervish  was  also  well  acquainted  with 
the  account  given  by  Mirkhond,  of  the  tak- 
ing of  the  true  cross  of  Christ,  as  well  as 
with  the  tradition,  that  Poorandocht,  a  Per- 
sian queen,  had  restored  it  to  Jerusalem,  and 
that  Shah  Abbas  had  taken  it  again  from 
the  Turks  ;  and  in  reciting  all  the  passages 
that  he  remembered,  from  his  reading,  on 
this  subject,  he  concluded  with  the  beauti- 
ful distich  of  Ferdousi,  expressive  of  the 
transitory  nature  of  human  greatness — "  The 
spider  weaves  his  web  in  the  palace  of  the 
Caesars,  and  the  owl  keeps  her  watch,  like  a 
sentinel,  upon  the  ruined  tower  of  Afrasiab." 

In  calling  himself  a  Soofee,  he  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  modern  application  of 
that  term  to  a  sect  of  Indian  philosophers, 


TO    BISITOON    AND    KEMGAWAR.  279 

called  Pramnae,  by  Strabo,  who  were  unin- 
fluenced by  the  superstitions  of  the  country 
in  which  they  lived  (India),  and  who  were  in 
constant  opposition  to  the  Bramins,  and  en- 
tered into  controversy  with  them,  on  their 
particular  tenets,  whenever  occasion  offered. 
He  knew  also  that  the  Soofees  of  his  own 
day  had  endeavoured  to  reconcile  the  an- 
cient doctrines  of  the  Metempsychosis,  as 
taught  by  the  Hindoos,  and  the  two  prin- 
ciples of  good  and  evil,  as  taught  by  Zo- 
roaster, with  the  tenets  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion.* 

This  man,  like  my  own  Dervish,  Ismael, 
was  a  perfect  Epicurean  in  faith  and  prac- 
tice ;  he  held  pleasure  to  be  the  only  good 
worth  pursuing,  though  the  means  by  which 
he  sought  its  enjoyment  seemed  unaccount- 
ably strange.  He  had  been  over  almost  all 
the  Eastern  World,  and  was  now  going  to 

*  One  of  the  leaders  of  this  sect,  at  one  time,  retired  to  a 
cavern,  after  the  fashion  of  impostors,  and  brought  out  from 
thence  paintings  and  writings,  which  he  pretended  to  have 
received  from  Heaven,  and  called  himself  the  Paraclete,  or 
Comforter,  promised  by  Jesus  to  follow  him  ;  but  he  and  all 
his  disciples  were  at  length  put  to  death  by  Baharam,  and 
the  skin  of  the  impostor  was  stripped  off,  and  hung  at  the  gate 
of  the  city  of  Shapoor. — Malcolms  Persia,  vol.  1,  p.  101. 


280  FROM    KERMANSHAH    TO    BISITOON. 

Bagdad,  where  Ismael  gave  him  introduc- 
tions to  his  best  friends  ;  and,  embracing  him 
with  fervour,  expressed  a  Jiope  that  they 
might  one  day  meet  again.  He  continued 
with  us,  however,  until  nearly  midnight, 
when  mere  weariness  alone  led  to  our  sepa- 
ration. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


HAMADAN  AND  MOUNT  ALWUND,  THE  ANCIENT  ECBATANA. 


Published  by  Henry  Coiburn,  8  New  Burlington  Street-    Jan.  I, 


^       CHAPTER  IX. 

ENTRY    INTO    HAMADAN THE    SITE    OF    THE 

ANCIENT    ECBATANA. 

Sept.  ^Ist. — Leaving  Sadawah  at  daylight, 
we  ascended  the  mountain  to  the  eastward  of 
it,  by  a  winding  road,  passing  in  our  way  a 
small  domed  tomb,  on  an  eminence,  which 
was  venerated  as  the  sepulchre  of  a  Sheikh 
Rubbeagh.  We  were  about  two  hours  in 
gaining  the  summit  of  this  mountain,  walking 
up  the  greater  part  of  the  way,  to  ease  our 
horses,  the  road  being  everywhere  of  steep 
ascent. 

The  composition  of  the  mountain  through- 
out  was  blue  slate,  interspersed  with  veins  of 
quartz ;  and  the  height  of  its  summit  ap- 
peared to  me,  by  rough  estimation,  to  be 
about  three  thousand  feet  from  its  base,  which 


282  ENTRY    INTO    HAMADAN, 

is  itself  an  elevated  level  of  about  the  same 
height  above  the  plain  of  Bagdad  ;  so  that 
the  tops  of  this  range  may  be  perhaps  about 
seven  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

We  found  the  air  very  sharp  and  cold,  and 
were  exceedingly  glad  to  hasten  our  descent 
on  its  eastern  side,  which  showed  everywhere 
the  same  materials,  but  was  more  rugged, 
and  broken  into  deeper  ravines  and  bolder 
cliffs.  In  the  way  we  met  some  Persian 
shepherds,  with  their  flocks,  and  passed  a 
few  springs  of  bitter  water,  descending  into 
the  eastern  plain. 

Near  the  foot  of  the  hill  we  came  to  a 
small  khan,  called  Karwansera  Meear  Kotel 
Sadawah,  which  had  been  erected  by  some 
humane  individual,  as  a  shelter  for  passen- 
gers. During  the  four  winter  months,  this 
mountain  is  said  to  be  impassable  by  caravans, 
from  the  snows  with  which  it  is  covered  ; 
and  it  is  asserted  that  not  a  season  passes 
without  the  death  of  many  shepherds  and 
peasants  from  the  cold  alone. 

Our  descent  on  the  east  was  not  much 
more  than  half  the  distance  of  our  ascent  on 
the  west  in  perpendicular  height,  when  we 
came  out   on   an  extensive  and  fine  plain. 


THE    SITE    OF    THE    ANCIENT    ECBATANA.    283 

covered  with  villages,  gardens,  and  brown 
ploughed  fields;  and,  turning  to  the  south- 
east, we  opened  the  prospect  of  Hamadan, 
seated  in  the  same  plain,  and  standing  amidst 
a  profusion  of  trees  and  verdure. 

The  whole  distance  of  our  journey  from 
Sadawah  to  Hamadan  was  about  eight  hours, 
and  our  course   on   the   whole  about   east- 
south-east.     On  entering  this  town,  we  passed 
through    a    burying-ground,    of   which    the 
tombs  were  of  an    unusual    kind  ;  some  of 
these  were  like  stone  chests,  or  sarcophagi,  of 
the  comm'on  size  of  the  human  form,  closely 
covered  on  the  top,  and  sculptured  all  over 
the  sides  and  ends  with  devices  of  flowers, 
&c.,  and  very  ancient  characters  of  Arabic 
inscription  on  them  :  others,  again,  were  four 
times  the  human  size,  in  height,  breadth,  and 
depth,  and  were   formed    of  large    slabs    of 
polished  stone,  like  the  planks  of  a  chest,  each 
side  in  one  piece,  and  all  perfectly  plain,  ex- 
cept the  upper  part,  in  the  centre  of  which 
was  a  small  tablet,  for  the  inscription.     The 
tombs  of  the  females  had  devices  of  combs,  and 
other  articles  of  the  toilette,  to  distinguish 
them  from  those  of  the  males. 

The  entrance    to  the    town  of  Hamadan 


284  ENTRY    INTO    HAMADAN, 

was  as  mean  as  that  of  the  smallest  village 
we  had  seen,  and  great  ruin  and  desertion 
was  apparent  on  every  side.  We  saw  an 
old  dilapidated  brick  sepulchre,  standing  de- 
tached, of  a  square  form,  and  evidently  of 
ancient  date  as  a  Mohammedan  work,  but 
now  entirely  neglected.  This  was  said  to  be 
the  tomb  of  Sheekh  Aboo-el-Senna,  or,  as  he 
is  sometimes  called,  Abu  Ali-ben-Senna,  the 
Avicenna  of  Europeans,  a  distinguished  phi- 
losopher, and  author  of  the  Arabic  work 
called  Mukamat-el-Arafin ;  but  whose  name 
and  reputation  seems  to  be  almost  forgotten 
here. 

We  continued  our  way  through  poor  ba- 
zaars and  miserable  streets,  until,  after  much 
difficulty,  we  obtained  shelter  in  a  half  ruined 
caravansera. 

During  our  detention  of  three  days  at  Ha- 
madan,  where  we  were  kept  waiting  for  a 
safe  opportunity  to  proceed  on  our  way,  I 
had  the  ill-fortune  to  be  seized  with  a  vio- 
lent fever,  originating,  perhaps,  in  the  com- 
bined causes  of  sudden  change  of  tempera- 
ture, bad  water,  and  the  free  use  of  fruits, 
which,  from  necessity  and  convenience,  formed 


THE    SITE    OF    THE    ANCIENT    ECBATANA.  S85 

here  our  chief  food.  This  confined  me  to  the 
khan  more  than  I  could  have  wished  ;  but  I 
still  profited  by  our  stay,  to  examine  many 
parts  of  the  town,  and  extend  my  enquiries 
to  such  particulars  as  most  interested  me 
at  the  moment ;  the  record  of  which  was, 
however,  necessarily  very  brief  and  hurried, 
though  there  is  no  spot  where  I  should  have 
been  more  pleased  to  have  been  able  to  make 
extended  enquiries,  and  amass  copious  ma- 
terials for  description  and  investigation.  It 
is  not  in  the  power  of  travellers,  however, 
always  to  command  what  they  desire ;  and 
in  barbarous  countries  especially,  they  are 
often  detained  against  their  will  in  places  of 
no  interest,  and  hurried  away  as  precipitately 
from  those  at  which  they  would  gladly  pro- 
long their  stay. 

Up  to  the  time  of  Sir  William  Jones,  whose 
authority  on  subjects  of  Oriental  geography, 
few  dared  to  dispute,  it  was  considered  that 
Tabreez  was  the  site  of  the  ancient  Ecba- 
tana  ;  but  subsequent  authorities  almost  uni- 
versally agree  in  placing  this  capital  of  the 
Median  Empire  at  Hamadan.  The  data  on 
which    this  conclusion  is  founded  are   very 


286  ENTRY    INTO    HAMADAN, 

clearly  and  concisely  stated  by  Macdonald 
Kinnier,  '^  and  can  leave  no  further  doubt 
on  the  subject.  As  we  have  seen  before, 
Ecbatana  was  a  city  existing  in  the  time 
of  Semiramis,  by  whom  it  was  visited  nearly 
two  thousand  years  before  the  Christian  era  ; 

*  *  There  is  every  reason  to  believe,  that  the  city  of  Hama- 
dan  either  stands  upon,  or  near  the  site  of  the  ancient  Ecbatana. 
Pliny  says,  that  Susa  is  equidistant  from  Seleucia  and  Ecba- 
tana, and  that  the  capital  of  Atropotia  (Azerbijan)  is  midway 
between  Artaxata  and  Ecbatana.  Isidore  of  Charax  places  it 
in  the  way  between  Seleucia  and  Parthia  ;  and  Diodorus  Si- 
culus  describes  it  as  situated  in  a  low  plain,  distant  twelve 
fursungs  from  a  mountain  called  Orontes.  These  testimonies 
are  as  strong  in  favour  of  the  position  of  Hamadan,  as  they  are 
irreconcilable  to  that  of  Tabreez,  which  Sir  William  Jones  sup- 
poses to  be  the  Median  capital.  The  former  is  nearly  equi- 
distant from  Susa  and  Seleucia,  is  in  the  direct  road  from  Se- 
leucia to  Parthia,  and  situated  in  a  low  plain,  at  the  foot  of  the 
celebrated  Mount  Elwund  :  but  Tabreez  is  neither  equidistant 
from  Seleucia  and  Susa,  nor  is  it  in  the  road  from  Seleucia  to 
Parthia;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  situated  in  a  distant  province, 
which  has  almost  as  often  been  included  in  the  kingdom  of 
Armenia  as  in  Persia.  When  I  was  at  Hamadan,  in  1810,  I 
was  shown  the  tomb  of  Mordecai  and  Esther  :  f  a  circumstance, 
of  itself,  sufficient  to  attest  the  antiquity  of  the  place.  The 
Persians,  themselves,  say  it  was  the  favourite  summer  residence 
of  most  of  their  sovereigns,  from  the  days  of  Darius  to  that 
of  Jungeez  Khan  ;  and,  indeed,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose,  that 
a  preference  might  be  given  to  its  fine  situation.  During  eight 
months  in  the  year,  the  climate  is  delightful  ;  but  in  winter  the 


f  '  The  tomb  of  Avicemia  is  also  at  Hamadan.* 


THE    SITE    OF    THE    ANCIENT    ECBATANA.  287 

and  Diodorus  Siculus,  in  describing  that 
event,  gives  some  of  the  local  features  of 
the  place,  which  mark  its  identity  with  Ha- 
madan,  —  especially  the  description  of  the 
mountain  Orontes,  the  plain  below  it,  and 
the  general  want  of  water.  ^     Pliny,  in  his 

cold  is  excessive,  and  fuel  with  difficulty  procured.  The  plain  is 
intersected  by  innumerable  little  streams,  covered  with  gardens  and 
villages,  and  the  vegetation  is  the  most  luxurious  I  ever  beheld. 

'  Elwund,  which  is,  no  doubt,  the  Mount  Orontes  of  Diodo- 
rus, when  viewed  at  a  distance,  has  the  appearance  of  a  long 
range  of  mountains.  The  length  of  Elwund  proper  is,  however, 
not  more  than  twelve  miles.  It  is  completely  separated  from 
the  northern  ridge ;  and  near  its  summit,  which  is  tipped  with 
continual  snow  and  seldom  obscured  by  clouds,  is  a  beautiful 
valley,  perfumed  by  a  thousand  sweet-scented  flowers.  This 
mountain  is  famed  in  the  East  for  its  mines,  waters,  and  vege- 
table productions.  The  Indians  suppose  that  it  contains  the 
philosopher's  stone  ;  and  the  natives  of  Ramadan  believe  that 
some  of  its  grasses  have  the  power  of  transmuting  the  basest 
metals  into  gold,  as  well  as  of  curing  any  distemper  to  which 
the  human  frame  is  exposed.  The  only  curiosity  I  observed  on 
this  mountain  was  an  inscription  upon  a  rock,  called  Gunj- 
Nauma,  or  history  of  the  treasure :  a  name  which  it  has  re- 
ceived, from  a  belief  that  it  contains  an  account  of  a  treasure 
buried  near  it.  This  inscription  is  in  the  same  character  as 
those  at  Tukti  Jumsheed,  Maudir  i  Solimane,  and  on  the  Ba- 
bylonian bricks.' — Geog.  Mem.  on  Persia,  4to. 

*  When  Semiramis  came  to  Ecbatana,  which  is  situated  in  a 
low  and  even  plain,  she  built  there  a  stately  palace,  and  be- 
stowed more  of  her  care  and  pains  here  than  she  had  done  at 
any  other  place.     For  the  city  wanting  water,  (there  being  no 


288  ENTRY    INTO    HAMADAN, 

general  description  of  Persia,  speaks  of  Da- 
rius the  king  having  transferred  the  city  of 
Ecbatana  to  the  mountains,  as  if  there  had 
been  a  place  of  that  name  originally  in  the 
lower  parts  of  Persia,  near  Persepolis  and 
Pasagarda,  or  the  Tomb  of  Cyrus.  ^  In  ano- 
ther part  of  his  writings  he  speaks  of  a  pe- 
culiar oily  spring  near  Ecbatana,  of  which  I 
could  gain  no  information  at  the  present 
day,  though  such  springs  are  not  among  the 
most  permanent  features  of  nature,  f     The 

spring  near,)  she  plentifully  supplied  it  with  good  and  whole- 
some water,  brought  thither  with  a  great  deal  of  toil  and 
expense  after  this  manner.  There  is  a  mountain  called  Oron- 
tes,  twelve  furlongs  distant  from  the  city,  exceedingly  high  and 
steep,  for  the  space  of  five-and-twenty  furlongs  up  to  the  top  : 
on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain  there  is  a  large  lake,  which 
emptifes  itself  into  the  river.  At  the  foot  of  this  mountain 
she  dug  a  canal  fifteen  feet  in  breadth,  and  forty  in  depth, 
through  which  she  conveyed  water  in  great  abundance  into  the 
city. — Diod.  Sic.  b.  2,  c  i. 

*  Plin.  Nat.  Hist.  lib.  6,  cap.  26. 

f  Polyclytus  (he  says)  speaks  of  a  certain  fountain  of  Cilicia, 
near  to  the  city  of  Soli,  which  yielded  an  unctuous  or  oleous  wa- 
ter, that  served  instead  of  oil.  Theophrastus  reports  the  same 
of  another  fountain  in  Ethiopia  which  had  the  like  quality. 
And  Lycas  states  that  among  the  Indians,  there  is  a  fountain, 
the  water  of  which  is  used  in  lamps  to  maintain  light.  The 
same  thing  (he  adds)  is  reported  of  another  water  near  Ec- 
batana, the  capital  city  of  Media. —  PZiw.  Nat.  Hist.  b.  31,  c.  2. 

Itis  more  than  probable  that  this  is  the  same  substance,  not 


THE    SITE    OF    THE    ANCIENT    ECBATANA.    289 

locality  of  Ecbatana  is,  however,  corroborated 
by  other  authorities.  Ammianus  Marcelli- 
nus,  for  instance,  in  speaking  of  the  Nisaean 
horses,  places  them  in  the  plains  of  a  fertile 
country  of  Assyria,  on  the  western  side  of  a 
high  mountain,  called  Corone.  This  is  evi- 
dently a  part  of  the  chain  called  Zagros, 
Orontes,  and  Jason,  in  the  same  place  ;  and 
Corone  is  written  perhaps  for  Celonae,  the 
name  of  the  district  where  these  horses  were 
bred.  ISow  Ecbatana  is  placed  by  Ammia- 
nus at  the  foot  of  Mount  Jason,  in  the  coun- 
try of  the  Syro-Medes,  which  just  before  he 

oily  water,  but  petroleum  or  bitumen,  mentioned  by  Plutarch 
in  his  Life  of  Alexander.  He  says  *  Alexander  traversed  all 
the  province  of  Babylon,  which  immediately  made  its  submis- 
sion ;  and  in  the  district  of  Ecbatana  he  was  particularly  struck 
with  a  gulph  of  fire,  which  streamed  continually,  as  from  an 
inexhaustible  source.  He  admired  also  a  flood  of  naptha,  not 
far  from  the  gulph,  which  flowed  in  such  abundance  that  it 
formed  a  lake.  The  naptha  in  many  respects  resembles  the 
bitumen,  but  is  much  more  inflammable.  Before  any  fire  touches 
it,  it  catches  light  from  a  flame  at  some  distance,  and  often 
kindles  all  the  intermediate  air.  The  barbarians,  to  show  the 
King  its  force  and  the  subtlety  of  its  nature,  scattered  some 
drops  of  it  in  the  street  which  led  to  his  lodgings,  and  standing 
at  one  end,  they  applied  their  torches  to  some  of  the  first 
drops,  for  it  was  night.  The  flame  communicated  itself  swifter 
than  thought,  and  the  street  was  instantaneously  on  fire.' — • 
Plutarch's  Life  of  Alexander. 

VOL.   I,  U 


290  .  ENTRY    INTO    HAM  AD  AN, 

numbers  with  Zagros,  Orontes,  and  Corone, 
as  parts  of  the  country  inhabited  by  the  war- 
like nation  of  the  Suziens,  and  which  it  ap- 
pears he  confounded  as  parts  of  the  same 
chain  which  separates  Susiana  from  Media.* 
This  corresponds  also  with  the  distance  as- 
signed by  Diodorus  Siculus  to  Ecbatana  from 
Persepolis,  when,  in  narrating  the  return  of 
Antigonus  with  his  whole  army  into  Media, 
after  the  defeat  and  death  of  Eumenes,  he 
describes  him  as  spending  the  rest  of  the 
winter  in  a  town  not  far  from  Ecbatana, 
where  the  Palace  Royal  of  Media  stood  ; 
and  adds,  that  when  Antigonus  marched  from 
Ecbatana,  the  capital  of  Media,  into  Persia,  it 
took  him  twenty  days  march  to  reach  Perse- 
polis.f  Again,  in  Arrian's  History  of  Alex- 
ander's expedition,  the  distance  from  Ecba- 
tana to  Persepolis  is  estimated  at  fifteen  days 
forced  marches  :  as  Alexander  marched  twelve 
days  from  Persepolis,  and  then  encamped 
within  three  days  of  Ecbatana.  Plutarch  es- 
timates this  march  of  eleven  days  as  three 
thousand  three  hundred  stadia,  or  about 
thirty-eight  miles  per  day;  and  adding  the 

*  Amm.  Mar.  lib.  23,  cap.  6.    f  Diod.  Sic.  lib.  19,  cap.  2,  3. 


THE    SITE    OF    THE    ANCIENT    ECBATANA.     291 

three  days  yet  remaining  before  reaching  Ec- 
batana,  the  whole  distance  would  be  nearly 
four  thousand  stadia,  or  about  five  hundred 
miles. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  events  that 
is  recorded  as  happening  at  Ecbatana,  is 
the  death  of  Hephaestion,  the  favourite  of 
Alexander ;  and  the  grief  of  the  Macedo- 
nian conqueror  at  the  loss  of  his  friend.  It 
is  adverted  to  slightly  by  Diodorus  ;  but  de- 
tailed more  fully  by  Arrian,  whose  account 
is  worth  transcribing  at  length :  Plutarch 
says,  that  a  supply  of  three  thousand  actors 
had  been  newly  despatched  from  Greece,  to 
divert  the  King,  by  shows  and  entertain- 
ments, when  he  had  finished  his  most  urgent 
affairs  at  Ecbatana,  and  that  it  was  during 
their  exhibition  that  Hephaestion  was  taken 
ill.  Plutarch  also  confirms  the  account  given 
of  the  immoderate  grief  of  the  King,  who 
ordered  the  manes  and  tails  of  all  his  mules 
and  horses  to  be  cut,  and  thrown  down  the 
battlements  of  the  neighbouring  cities.  And 
iElian  expressly  says,  that  he  cast  down  the 
walls  of  Ecbatana  to  the  ground. 

The  description  of  Hephaestion's  death  and 
u  2 


292  ENTRY    INTO    HAMADAN, 

Alexander's  sorrow  at  Ecbatana,  as  given  by 
Arrian,  will  be  found  below.* 

*  '  When  Alexander  arrived  at  Ecbatana,  he  offered  sacrifice 
to  the  gods  for  good  success,  according  to  his  custom  ;  he  also 
exhibited  gymnastic  and  musical  sports,  and  made  a  royal  enter- 
tainment for  his  friends.  About  this  time  Hephaestion  was  taken 
violently  ill,  and  it  was  on  the  seventh  day  of  his  sickness  when 
the  boys  exercised  themselves  at  wrestling.  But  when  the  king 
received  news  of  his  declining  state,  he  left  off  his  sports,  and 
hastened  towards  him  with  all  speed;  but  before  he  could 
reach  the  place,  he  was  dead.  Sundry  authors  have  given  an 
account  of  Alexander's  grief  upon  this  occasion,  very  different 
from  each  other ;  but  in  this  they  all  agree,  that  he  was  seized 
with  immoderate  sorrow  ;  but  after  what  manner  he  testified  it 
to  the  world,  is  a  matter  of  great  dispute  among  them,  some 
giving  their  opinion  one  way,  some  another,  according  as  they 
are  inclined  by  passion  or  prejudice,  either  for  Alexander  or 
Hephaestion.  They  who  have  wrote  the  most  extravagant  ac- 
counts seem  to  have  imagined,  that  whatever  the  king  said  or 
did,  to  show  his  excessive  concern  for  the  death  of  one  whom 
he  so  dearly  loved,  ought  to  redound  to  his  praise.  Others  are 
rather  inclined  to  condemn  such  immoderate  grief,  as  unbe- 
coming any  monarch,  and  much  more  Alexander.  Some  tell 
us,  that  he  lay  almost  a  whole  day,  lamenting  over  the  dead 
body  of  his  friend,  and  refused  to  depart  from  him,  till  he  was 
forced  away  by  his  friends.  Others  lengthen  out  the  time  of 
his  lamenting  over  him  to  a  whole  day  and  night.  Others 
again  affirm,  that  he  ordered  Glaucus,  his  physician,  to  be 
crucified  because  of  the  potion  which  he  had  indiscreetly  ad- 
ministered to  him  ;  while  others  tell  us,  that  when  Glaucus 
saw  that  Hephaestion  would  not  refrain  from  drinking  an  un- 
reasonable quantity  of  wine,  he  refused  to  take  any  further 
care  of  him.  That  Alexander  should  lie  prostrate  upon  the 
dead  body  of  so  dear  a  friend,  and  tear  his  hair,  and  show  other 


THE    SITE    OF    THE    ANCIENT    ECBATANA.     293 

Of  more  recent  events,  the  entombment  of 
Esther  and  Mordecai  at  Hamadan,  may  be 

signs  of  grief,  I  neither  deem  improbable,  nor  indecent,  they 
being  done  after  the  example  of  Achilles,  whom  he  imitated  from 
his  youth.     Some  authors  tell  us,  that  he  caused  the  body  of 
Hephsestion   to   be  put  into   a  chariot,  and  that  he  would  be 
charioteer  himself;  but  this  is  not  credible.     Others  say,  he 
caused  the  temple  of  jEsculapius  in  Ecbatana  to  be  demolished, 
which  was  a  barbarous  action,  not  at  all  suited  to  the  character 
of  Alexander,    and,   indeed,    much    rather    resembling  that  of 
Xerxes,    a  known  despiser    and    reviler  of  the    gods,    who   is 
reported  to  have  thrown  fetters,  out  of  revenge,  into  the  Hel- 
lespont.    However,  what  is  related  by  some  authors  seems  not 
improbable,  namely,  that  when  Alexander  was  upon  his  march 
towards  Babylon,  many  ambassadors  from  the   Grecian  states 
met  him,  among  whom  were  some  from  Epidaurus,  whose  re- 
quest when  he  had  granted,  he  sent  an  offering  to  be  hung  up 
in  the  temple  of  JEsculapius,  notwithstanding,  as  he  said,  that 
god  had  not  showed  himself  at  all  favourable,  in  not  saving  the 
life  of  a  friend,  whom  he  loved  as  his  own  spirit.     Many  assure 
us  that  he  ordered  sacrifices  to  be  offered  to  him  as  to  a  hero ; 
and  some  add,  that  he  sent  to  Ammon's  temple  to  consult  the 
oracle  there,  whether  he   should  not  sacrifice  to  him  as  a  god  ; 
but   Jupiter  denied  that  liberty.     However,  all  authors   agree, 
that  the  king  neither  tasted  food,  nor  changed  his  apparel,  for 
three  whole   days    after  Hephaestion's   death,  but  lay  all  that 
while  either  lamenting,  or  silently  endeavouring  to  conceal  his 
grief,  and  that  he  commanded  sumptuous  obsequies  to  be  per- 
formed at  Babylon,  at  the  expense  of  ten  thousand  talents  (some 
say  much  more),  and  ordered  a  strict  and  public  mourning  to 
be  observed  throughout  all  the  barbarian  countries.     Many  of 
Alexander's  friends,  that  they  might  divert  that  excess  of  grief 
into  which  he  had  then  fallen,  are  said  to  have  devoted  them- 
selves and   their  armour   to  Hephoestion ;  and  that  Eumenes 


294  ENTRY    INTO    HAMAD  AN, 

mentioned.  The  sepulchre  of  both  is  still 
shown  there,  and  pilgrimages  are  made  by 
the  Jews  of  the  surrounding  country  to  this 
sacred  building,  the  key  of  which  is  always 
in  the  keeping  of  the  chief  priest  of  the 
Israelites  in  the  city.  My  illness  prevented 
my  visiting  either  this,  or  the  tomb  of  Avi- 
cenna,  the  great  Arabian  physician,  which  is 
also  shown  here  :  but  I  learnt  from  the  few 
inhabitants  of  the  place,  with  whom  I  had 
any  intercourse,  that  both  these  relics  of  an- 
tiquity are  held  in  great  honour  by  the  re- 
spective classes  of  Jews  and  Mohammedans  ; 
and  that  the  minutest  traditions  respecting 

whom  we  mentioned  to  have  had  a  grudge  against  him,  a  short 
while  before,  was  the  first  proposer  of  it.  Tiiis  office,  however' 
he  performed  to  him  when  dead,  lest  the  king  should  have  enter- 
tained a  suspicion  that  he  had  rejoiced  at  his  death.  Alexan- 
der gave  strict  orders  that  none  should  be  appointed  captain 
over  the  auxiliary  horse  in  his  place,  lest  his  name  should  be 
forgotten  in  the  cohort,  but  that  it  should  always  be  named 
Hephsestion's  cohort,  and  that  the  banner  which  he  had  chosen 
should  be  continued  to  be  carried  before  them,  as  well  in  their 
several  marches  as  in  battle.  He  moreover  exhibited  gym- 
nastic and  musical  sports,  much  more  sumptuous  and  mag- 
nificent than  any  of  his  former,  as  well  for  the  multitude  of 
the  combatants,  as  the  greatness  of  the  prizes  contended  for. 
Three  thousand  combatants  are  said  to  have  been  reserved  for 
this  solemnity,  who,  shortly  after,  performed  their  exercises  at 
his  tomb.* — Arrians  History  of  Alexander  6  Expedition. 


THE    SITE    OF    THE    ANCIENT    ECBATANA.    295 

these  are  treasured  up  with  care  ;  while  no 
one  knows,  or  desires  to  know  any  thing  of 
Semiramis,  Alexander,  Hephaestion,  or  any 
other  of  the  Pagan  personages,  whose  names 
are  associated  with  the  history  of  Ecbatana. 
In  the  time  of  Benjamin  of  Tudela,  who 
visited  Hamadan,  and  described  the  tomb 
of  Mordecai  and  Esther,^  there  were  no  less 
than  fifty  thousand  Jews  settled  here,  which 

*  Sir  Robert  Kerr  Porter  obtained  the  following  translations 
of  the  Hebrew  inscriptions  still  existing  in  the  tomb  of  Mor 
decai  and  Esther. 

Hebrew  Inscription  on  a  marble  slab  in  the  Sepulchre  of  Esther  and 

Mordecai. 

*  Mordecai,  beloved  and  honoured  by  a  King,  was  great  and 
good.  His  garments  were  as  those  of  a  sovereign.  Ahasuerus 
covered  him  with  this  rich  dress,  and  also  placed  a  golden  chain 
around  his  neck.  The  city  of  Susa  rejoiced  at  his  honours, 
and  his  high  fortune  became  the  glory  of  the  Jews.' 

Inscription  encompassing  the  Sarcophagus  of  Mordecai* 

*  It  is  said  by  David,  preserve  me,  O  God !  I  am  now  in  thy 
presence — I  have  cried  at  the  gate  of  Heaven,  that  thou  art  my 
God ;  and  what  goodness  I  have  received  came  from  thee,  O 
Lord! 

*  Those  whose  bodies  are  now  beneath  in  this  earth,  when 
animated  by  thy  mercy,  were  great;  and  whatever  happiness 
was  bestowed  upon  them  in  this  world,  came  from  thee,  O  God  ! 

*  Their  grief  and  sufferings  were  many,  at  the  first ;  but  they 
became  happy,  because  they  always  called  upon  thy  holy  name 
in  their  miseries.  Thou  liftedst  me  up,  and  I  became  power- 
ful. Thine  enemies  sought  to  destroy  me  in  the  early  times 
of  my  life ;  but    the   shadow  of  thy  hand  was  upon  me,  and 


296  ENTRY    INTO    HAMADAN. 

is  more  than  the  whole  of  the  present  popu- 
lation :  but  this  is  easily  credible,  as  the 
whole  aspect  of  the  city  gives  proof  of  for- 
mer magnificence  and  subsequent  decline. 
It  is  remarkable  too,  that  at  the  same  pe- 
riod, according  to  the  same  authority,  there 
were  not  more  than  fifteen  thousand  Jews 
in  Ispahan,  though  in  that  city  resided  the 
Chief,  in  a  University,  on  which  all  the 
other  Jews  of  Persia  were  dependent.  This 
fact  alone  proves  with  what  comparatively 
high  importance  the  sacred  depository  at 
Hamadan  was  regarded,  for  it  was  this  alone 
which  could  have  drawn  so  many  more  Jews 
to  reside  in  that  city  than  at  Ispahan. 

covered  me,  as    a  tent,  from  their   wicked  purposes  ! — Mor- 

DECAI.* 

Itiscription  around  the  Sarcophagus  of  Esther  the  Queen. 

*  I  praise  thee,  O  God,  that  thou  hast  created  me!  I  know 
that  my  sins  merit  punishment,  yet  I  hope  for  mercy  at  thy 
hands ;  for  whenever  I  call  upon  thee,  thou  art  with  me ;  thy 
holy  presence  secures  me  from  all  evil. 

*  My  heart  is  at  ease,  and  ray  fear  of  thee  increases.  My 
life  became,  through  thy  goodness,  at  the  last  full  of  peace. 

'  O  God  !  do  not  shut  my  soul  out  from  thy  divine  presence  ! 
Those  whom  thou  lovest,  never  feel  the  torments  of  hell.  Lead 
me,  O  merciful  Father,  to  the  life  of  life  ;  that  I  may  be  filled 
with  the  Heavenly  fruits  of  paradise  ! — Esther'. — Travels  in 
J^ersia,  vol.  ii,  p,  109. 


CHAPTER  X. 


KHERDAKHAUD  AND  SURROUNDING  COUNTRY. 


Published  by  Henry  Colburn,  8  New  Burlington  Street-    Jan.  1, 1828u 


CHAPTER  X. 

FROM       HAMADAN,      BY      ALFRAOON,      KERDAK- 
HOURD,    AND    GIAOUR-SE,    TO    GOOLPYEGAN. 

Sept.  24th. — -Hearing  of  a  party  destined 
for  Ispahan,  who  were  to  set  out  this  after- 
noon, we  prepared  for  our  departure,  deter- 
mining not  to  lose  the  occasion  of  their 
company.-  My  fever,  which  was  sufficiently 
violent  to  confine  me  to  my  carpet  in  the 
khan  during  the  whole  of  yesterday,  had 
rather  increased  than  diminished  ;  and  I  had 
no  sort  of  medicine  with  me  to  counteract 
it.  This,  however,  was  not  a  place  from 
which  to  hope  any  other  relief  than  rest 
could  afford ;  and  as  even  that  had  been 
hitherto  constantly  interrupted  by  idle  en- 
quirers, we  determined  to  quit  Hamadan 
with  all  possible  speed. 


298  FROM    HAMADAN 

It  was  immediately  after  the  prayers  of 
noon  that  we  mounted  our  horses  at  the 
khan,  and  going  southerly  through  the  town, 
came  into  the  high  road.  Our  course  along 
this  lay  east-north-east  for  the  first  hour,  over 
unequal  ground,  having  villages  and  gardens 
in  sight  of  us  on  all  sides,  and  the  lofty 
range  of  Kooh  Alwend  on  our  right.  This 
brought  us  to  the  large  village  of  Tafreejan, 
some  separate  portions  of  which  were  walled 
in,  resembling  distinct  castles.  The  valley  in 
which  it  lay  had  several  streams  of  water, 
many  fruit-gardens,  and  abundance  of  pop- 
lar trees :  but,  retired  as  this  spot  seemed  to 
be  from  the  public  eye,  there  were  many 
courtezans  who  had  fixed  their  abodes  here. 

From  Tafreejan,  our  course  lay  about  a 
point  more  southerly,  and  the  road  became 
more  barren  and  more  uneven ;  the  basis  of 
it,  as  in  the  first  part  of  our  way,  being  hills 
of  blue  slate,  with  veins  of  white  quartz  in- 
terspersed. A  second  hour  by  this  route 
brought  us  to  the  village  of  Yalpan,  where 
we  found  a  part  of  our  promised  company, 
the  remainder  being  still  behind. 

Since  quitting  Bisitoon  we  had  seen  no 
public  khans  on  the  road,  nor  are  there  any? 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  299 

it  is  said,  between  this  and  Ispahan.  Pas- 
sengers take  shelter,  therefore,  where  they 
can  find  it ;  sometimes  beneath  a  shed ;  at 
others,  in  the  stable  with  their  horses  ;  and, 
as  was  our  case  at  Kengawar,  they  sometimes 
sleep  in  the  open  air.  In  the  way  from  Ta- 
freejan  to  Yalpan  we  had  a  heavy  shower  of 
rain,  which  lasted  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
way,  and  wetted  us  so  completely,  that  we 
needed  more  than  ordinarily  some  place  of 
shelter,  to  dry  our  garments  and  to  repose. 
The  cold  of  the  air  was  extreme,  and  on  the 
range  of  hills  on  our  right,  which  is  "a  distinct 
chain  from  the  Alwend,  there  had  recently 
fallen  sufficient  snow  to  sheet  over  their 
summits  with  unbroken  white,  though  the 
spot  where  the  snow  lay  was  not  more  than 
two  hours  distant  from  hence.  The  place 
on  which  our  companions  had  taken  up  their 
quarters  was  merely  an  open  court,  with  some 
few  little  dark  hovels  around  it,  into  which 
asses  and  horned  cattle  were  driven  at  night- 
After  wandering  about  the  village,  however, 
for  some  time,  we  at  length  found  a  subter- 
raneous cave,  apparently  a  place  of  shelter 
for  cattle  also,  in  which  we  took  up  our  abode. 
Sept.  25th. — After  a  night  of  great  suffer- 


300  FROM    HAMADAN 

ing  and  increased   fever,  with  total  loss  of 
appetite  and  insatiable  thirst,  I  felt  myself 
so  weak,  as  scarcely   to  be  able  to  support 
myself  without  aid.    Some  of  the  party  whom 
we  had  joined,  now  came  to  say,  that  in  con- 
sequence of  a  dispute  between  the  principal 
owner  of  the  merchandize,   and   the   chief 
muleteer  of  the  caravan,  it  was  likely  that  those 
remaining   behind   at    Hamadan,  would   be 
detained  there  for  three  or  four  days  longer ; 
and  that  their  companions  here   could  not 
proceed  without  them.     My  Dervish  and  the 
Fakeer,  who  were  both  much  more  alarmed 
at  my  illness  than  myself,  urged  me  by  all 
means  to  await  here  the  result  of  their  join- 
ing us,  that  I  might  in  the  mean  time  assist 
my  recovery  by  repose.     As  they  spoke,  how- 
ever, of  a  station  only  two  hours  distant,  and 
as  the  weather  was  fine,  after  the  rain  of  yes- 
terday,  I    preferred  proceeding,  if  possible^ 
even  alone,  in  order  to  be  gaining  something, 
however  little,  on  our  way ;  as  well  as  to  try 
what  the  change  of  air  and  water  might  effect. 
Tafreejan    and  Yalpan    are  nearly   equal 
in  size,  and  the  population  of  each  is  less 
than  a  thousand  persons ;  though  their  ap- 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  301 

pearance  would  induce  a  stranger  to  make  a 
larger  estimate.  As  building  land  is  of  no 
value,  every  house  occupies  a  large  space  in 
its  courts,  its  stables,  its  gardens,  &c.  The 
buildings  are  mostly  of  mud ;  but  better 
wrought,  and  neater  and  cleaner,  than  Arab 
dwellings  of  people  of  the  same  class.  The 
inhabitants  are  all  ill-dressed,  and  are  also 
an  ill-looking  people.  The  language  spoken 
among  themselves  is  a  corrupt  Turkish,  which 
my  Dervish  understood,  and  Persian  is  only 
used  by  them  to  strangers.  They  are  here, 
as  in  many  other  of  the  villages  through 
which  we  passed,  such  expert  thieves,  that  a 
large  copper  washing  jug,  called  Ibreah,  with 
an  iron  hook  and  chain,  and  three  or  four 
smaller  articles,  were  stolen  from  beneath 
our  heads  as  we  slept,  in  the  cavern  before 
described,  without  either  of  us  being  at  all 
disturbed  by  the  robbery. 

We  quitted  Yalpan  about  ten  o'clock,  and 
went  slowly  on  to  the  south-east,  for-  I  was 
now  so  weak,  that  the  gentlest  motion  of  the 
horse  was  painful  to  me.  Our  road  was  still 
over  barren  hills  of  blue  slate,  and  generally 
uncultivated  ground;  when  after  a  tedious 


S02  FROM    HAMADAN 

ride  of  three  hours,  in  which  we  had  scarcely 
gone  more  than  six  miles,  we  reached  the 
village  of  Alfraoun. 

We  aligiited  here  at  the  house  of  a  man 
known  to  the  Fakeer,  and  were  treated  with 
great  civility.  In  the  room  where  we  were 
received,  two  of  his  daughters  were  employed 
in  making  a  carpet  for  sale.  The  woof  was 
formed  by  two  layers  of  coarse  twine,  about 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  between  the  cords  of 
each ;  the  upper  layer  having  its  cords  fall- 
ing into  the  intervals  of  the  lower,  so  that  the 
space  was  reduced  to  half.  Large  balls  of 
coloured  worsted  were  hung  on  a  frame  close 
by.  The  cords  of  the  woof  were  stretched 
by  two  horizontal  bars,  one  above,  and  the 
other  below,  and  the  carpet  itself  was  worked 
from  the  bottom  upward.  The  girls  sat  be- 
fore it,  and  beginning  each  toward  their  re- 
spective side,  approached,  until  they  met  each 
other  in  the  centre.  The  whole  process  con- 
sisted in  taking  into  the  fingers  two  or  three 
threads  of  worsted,  of  the  colours  suggested 
by  the  fancy  of  the  workers,  passing  them 
underneath  a  cord  of  the  woof,  twisting  them 
a  little  by  the  hand,  to  secure  them  in  their 
places,  and  then  cutting  off  the  ends  with  a 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  303 

knife,  leaving  a  length  of  perhaps  half  an 
inch  from  the  bottom  of  the  woof  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  carpet. 

I  continued  still  exceedingly  ill ;  my  fever 
vras  somewhat  abated  at  night,  but  I  had  yet 
no  appetite,  and  was  as  weak  as  an  infant. 

Sept.  S6th.  —  We  had  been  put  to  sleep 
by  the  Fakeer's  friend,  in  the  stall,  with  all 
his  live  stock,  consisting  of  three  or  four  cows, 
as  many  asses,  and  a  large  family  of  poultry. 
The  air  of  such  a  place,  when  the  door  was 
closed,  which  the  owner  himself  did,  after  we 
had  retired,  to  keep  his  animals  in  safety,  was 
not  of  the  purest  kind  ;  nor  was  there  a  win- 
dow, or  a  vent-hole  of  any  description  to  re- 
lieve us.  As  our  own  horses  were  obliged  to 
stand  out,  we  found  in  the  morning  that  the 
friend  of  the  Fakeer  had  appropriated  almost 
all  their  corn  to  his  own  use,  for  he  had  taken 
their  bags  from  them  after  we  had  retired  ; 
and  as  we  were  up  early,  he  had  not  yet  re- 
turned them  to  their  original  place.  A  few 
other  articles  were  stolen  from  us  by  this 
host,  in  the  confidence  of  friendship,  which 
we  could  not  recover. 

For  the  last  three  days  I  had  tasted  only 
toasted  bread  and  water.     I  felt  now  some 


304  FROM    HAM  AD  AN 

little  appetite,  and  as  there  was  nothing  sim- 
pler to  be  had  here,  I  took  a  little  warm  milk 
and  water,  with  a  little  bread  in  it,  which  in- 
creased my  strength. 

We  quitted  Alfraoun,  which  in  size  and 
population  resembles  the  two  former  villages, 
about  eight  o'clock,  and  went  about  east- 
south-east  over  cultivated  ground,  and  a  ge- 
nerally descending  level.  In  an  hour  we 
came  to  a  very  small  place,  with  a  few  gar- 
dens, called  Kalajek,  where  the  people  also 
spoke  Turkish.  We  could  now  see  that  Al- 
fraoun was  seated  at  the  entrance  of  a  fine 
plain,  having  on  the  east  and  north-east  three 
or  four  large  villages  in  sight,  whose  names 
we  could  not  learn. 

From  hence  in  two  hours  more,  sometimes 
over  bare,  and  sometimes  over  cultivated 
ground,  we  reached  the  village  of  Kerda- 
khourd,  where  I  found  it  necessary  to  alight, 
as  I  was  too  weak  to  proceed  further. 

We  had  thus  been  three  days  performing 
one  stage  of  seven  hours,  chiefly  from  my 
weak  state,  which  incapacitated  me  from  pro- 
ceeding further,  or  faster,  than  we  had  done. 
My  companions  attributed  this,  with  every 
other  lesser  evil,  to  the  influence  of  some  ma- 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  305 

licious  enemy,  who  followed  our  steps  with 
ill-wishes.  It  was  in  the  confidence  of  this 
being  the  cause,  that  the  Fakeer  deposited  in 
two  newly  made  graves,  which  we  had  passed 
on  the  high  road  between  Kalajek  and  Ker- 
dakhourd,  a  few  rags  from  off  his  clothes, 
to  allay  the  spirit  of  the  enemy  who  was 
thought  to  persecute  us.  On  enquiring  whose 
ashes  these  graves  contained,  we  were  told 
that  a  pious  and  upright  Moslem  of  Hama- 
dan  had  lately  seen  the  ghade  of  a  former 
friend  in  a  dream,  who  had  desired  him,  if 
he  feared  God,  and  wished  to  be  esteemed  of 
men,  to  go  to  the  lonely  spot  which  he  named, 
and  erect  there  two  decent  tombs,  as  the  bo- 
dies of  two  devout  men  lay  murdered  there, 
and  their  souls  could  not  have  rest  until  the 
rites  of  sepulture  were  given  them.  This  was 
an  affair  of  a  few  weeks  back  only  ;  and  while 
the  story  gave  strength  to  the  belief  of  an 
evil  influence  being  exercised  against  us,  the 
Fakeer  having  placed  some  of  his  rags  on  the 
grave  was  thought  sufficient  to  do  away  the 
charm,  so  that  the  rest  of  our  way  was  pro- 
mised us  to  be  more  auspicious. 

Kerdakhourd  offered   nothing  of  novelty 
in  its   appearance,  being  a  widely  spread  vil- 

VOL.    I.  X 


306  FROM    HAMAD  AN 

lage  of  mud-dwellings,  with  many  gardens, 
poplar  trees,  bad  water,  and  abundance  of 
good  grapes.  Our  accommodation  there  was 
as  humble  as  before,  partaking  of  the  same 
stalls  with  our  animals. 

Sept.  27th. — We  set  out  from  our  station 
with  the  rising  sun,  as  I  had  slept  well,  and 
felt  much  stronger  than  on  the  preceding 
day.  The  morning  was  cold,  however,  to  a 
most  painful  degree,  and  though  my  legs 
were  bound  round  with  thick  and  coarse 
woollen  in  several  folds,  and  I  was  warmly 
clad  above,  with  two  large  cloaks  over  all, 
it  was  nevertheless  not  until  the  sun  had 
risen  three  full  hours,  that  the  temperature 
of  the  air  would  admit  of  my  throwing  off 
one  of  these  heavy  garments.  My  compa- 
nions, too,  were  muffled  up  in  bags  and  cat- 
pets,  and  seemed  to  suffer  still  more  from 
the  cold  than  myself 

Soon  after  our  departure,  we  could  per- 
ceive that  Kerdakhourd  was  seated  at  the 
commencement  of  an  extensive  plain,  run- 
ning to  the  south-east,  between  two  high 
ranges  of  blue  slate  hills,  watered  by  a  small 
stream  in  its  centre,  and  studded  with  nu- 
merous villages.     The  whole  of  this  tract  is 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  307 

called  Melyer,  and  is  generally  well-cultiva- 
ted, and  well  peopled  throughout  its  whole 
extent,  which  is  about  twenty  miles  long,  and 
seven  or  eight  broad. 

In  two  hours  after  our  leaving  Kerda- 
khourd,  we  had  opposite  to  us,  on  the  left  of 
our  road,  and  distant  two  or  three  miles,  a 
large  castle,  seated  high  on  an  artificial 
mound,  and  now  containing  within  it  a  peo- 
pled village.  It  is  called  Khallet  Moham- 
med Bek-Tahavildar,  and  is  probably  a  mo- 
dern work,  though  we  could  obtain  no  accu- 
rate information  as  to  its  age. 

There  were  a  number  of  villages  distin- 
guishable from  afar,  by  their  gardens  and 
poplar  trees,  and  some  even  near  the  road, 
but  of  these  we  learned  only  the  name  of 
one  on  the  right,  called  Nazijan,  which  we 
passed  about  two  hours  after  being  opposite 
to  the  castle  before  named. 

The  stream,  which  ran  through  the  centre 
of  the  plain,  flowed  to  the  north-west,  so  that 
we  were  again  raising  our  level.  Its  waters 
were  highly  transparent,  but  its  bed  was 
choked  by  long  grassy  weeds,  and  the  wa- 
ter itself  exceedingly  bitter  and  disagree- 
able to  the  taste. 

X  2 


308  FROM    HAMADAN 

About  noon  we  entered  the  large  village 
of  Kherdoo,  which  is  the  usual  halt  of  cara- 
vans ;  but  as  the  next  stage  was  said  to  be 
only  four  hours,  and  I  had  continued  to  gain 
strength,  and  to  lose  my  fever  as  we  went 
along,  we  made  only  an  halt  of  an  hour  here 
to  repose  a  little,  and  then  pushed  on  to  re- 
gain our  lost  time. 

At  Kherdoo  the  stream  is  larger  than  be- 
fore, but  its  waters  were  still  of  a  bad  taste. 
We  noted  at  this  place  a  rude  bridge  formed 
of  the  trunks  of  poplars,  supported  by  up- 
right posts.  Separate  portions  of  the  town 
are  enclosed  by  walls,  and  the  houses  are 
large  enough  to  contain  all  the  conveniences 
which  the  people  desire. 

From  Kherdoo  we  set  out  again  before  El 
Assr,  and  going  still  east  by  south  along  the 
plain,  with  the  stream  of  water  on  our  right, 
we  passed,  in  about  two  hours,  a  large  vil- 
lage seated  amidst  gardens,  but  as  it  lay  a 
little  off  the  main  road,  we  did  not  learn 
its  name.  The  district  from  here  onward 
is  called  Char  rah. 

Two  other  hours  on  the  same  course 
brought  us  to  Giaour  Se,  a  name  given  to  a 
cluster  of  villages  with  their  fields  and  gar- 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  309 

dens,  in  one  of  which  we  noted  an  old  high 
mound  that  had  probably  been  the  site  of 
some  ancient  castle,  and  originally  given  the 
place  its  present  name.  We  found  the  peo- 
ple here  more  than  usually  inquisitive,  and 
far  more  impertinent  in  their  replies  than 
we  had  yet  experienced  on  the  road.  A 
small  caravan  of  Zuwars,  or  Pilgrims,  going 
to  the  tombs  of  Imam  Ali,  and  Imam  Hus- 
sein, had  halted  here  on  their  way  from 
Kashan,  from  which  they  had  been  six  days 
on  their  journey,  and  they  made  to  us  the 
same  complaint  of  the  unusual  incivility  of 
the  people  of  Giaour-Se. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  though  travel- 
ling through  a  plain  covered  with  excellent 
soil,  abounding  in  villages,  population,  and 
cattle,  we  had  met  not  less  than  fifty  fa- 
milies, in  different  parties,  emigrating  from 
their  homes,  on  account  of  want,  and  going 
towards  Hamadan  and  Kermanshah  to  seek 
a  subsistence.  Some  of  these  were  in  a  state 
of  great  apparent  wretchedness,  and  among 
them  were  little  naked  infants  of  three  or 
four  years  old,  walking  along,  barefoot  with 
the  rest,  on  a  stony  road.  The  cooking  uten- 
sils and  bedding,  which  comprised  all  their 


810  FROM    HAMADA>r  ' 

moveables,  were  divided  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  while  the  husband  and  the 
wife  carried  each  a  young  child  or  two  at 
their  backs.  From  general  report  it  appear- 
ed, that  for  the  last  three  years  there  had 
been  a  deficiency  of  rain  in  this  part  of  Per- 
sia, called  Irak-Ajam,  extending  from  Ispahan 
to  Kermanshah  ;  and  that  in  the  central  part 
of  this  space,  about  Goolpyegan,  there  had 
been  absolutely  none;  so  that  all  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  earth  had  been  retarded, 
and  every  necessary  of  life  was  at  a  price 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  poor.  The  parched 
and  dry  state  of  the  soil  in  the  parts  we 
had  traversed  had  been  constantly  remarked 
by  us,  as  well  as  the  anxiety  with  which  the 
peasants  looked  towards  the  approaching  sea- 
son of  the  rains.  The  flocks  had  not  dimi- 
nished, as  they  had  found  sufficient  browzing 
on  the  mountains,  nor  were  the  fruits  defi- 
cient, as  the  gardens  were  all  watered  by 
little  rivulets  ;  but  still  no  supplies  of  water 
could  be  drawn  for  their  agriculture.  Grain 
was  now  more  than  tenfold  the  price  it  bore 
three  years  since ;  about  a  pound  and  a 
quarter  English  of  wheat  costing  half  a  ru- 
pee, or  fifteen-pence  sterling!  We  ourselves 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  311 

felt  the  daily  expenditure  for  our  horses  and 
our  own  food  to  be  increasingly  heavy;  as 
from  Bagdad  to  Kermanshah,  four  rupees  a 
day  covered  all  our  expenses  ;  from  thence  to 
Hamadan,  with  an  additional  horse  and  man, 
seven  rupees  were  barely  sufficient;  and  now 
we  found  less  than  half  a  rupee  to  remain 
out  of  ten,  which  had  been  set  apart  for 
the  service  of  the  day.  The  larger  portion 
of  this  money  was  required  for  corn  and 
bread:  for  besides  this,  a  little  fruit  through 
the  day,  and  some  boiled  rice  and  butter, 
or  rice  and  milk,  at  sunset,  satisfied  all  our 
wants.  We  were  thus  expending  nearly  as 
much  money  as  the  same  number  of  persons 
might  travel  comfortably  for  in  England,  and 
had  not  more  than  the  barest  necessaries  to 
sustain  life  for  such  a  sum. 

Sept.  28th. — We  quitted  Giaour-Se,  muf- 
fled up  in  bags  and  blankets,  to  protect  our- 
selves against  the  cold,  and  envied  the  pea- 
sants their  warm  sheep-skin  coats  and  jackets, 
without  being  able  to  purchase  one,  as  my 
purse  seemed  likely  to  be  emptied,  by  the 
demand  on  it  for  food,  long  before  we  should 
reach  our  journey's  end,  even  with  the  most 
rigid  economy.     Our  course  from  hence  lay 


312  FKOM    HAMADAN 

nearly  south,  through  a  continuation  of  the 
same  plain  as  we  had  passed  over  yesterday, 
watered  by  the  same  stream  coming  from 
the  southward,  and  equally  abounding  in 
good  soil,  many  villages,  and  verdant  gar- 
dens. The  high  blue  slate  mountains  on 
each  side  of  us  began  now  to  approach  each 
other,  so  that  the  plain  was  growing  pro- 
gressively narrower  ;  and  after  going  about 
four  hours  south,  we  came  to  its  termina- 
tion, which  was  formed  by  the  ends  of  the 
two  lines  of  hills  meeting  each  other  in  a 
semicircle. 

From  hence  we  went  up  east  over  a  steep 
but  low  hill,  which  forms  the  pass  into  an- 
other plain,  and  terminates  the  district  of 
Tcharrah.  From  the  top  of  this  hill,  we 
went  down  about  east-south-east,  over  a 
gentle  slope ;  and  following  the  winding  of 
the  road  to  south-east  and  south,  we  came, 
in  about  two  hours  more,  to  the  village  of 
Kuddumgah,  where  we  alighted. 

The  plain,  in  which  this  is  seated,  is  nearly 
of  a  circular  form,  and  from  seven  to  eight 
miles  in  diameter,  surrounded  generally  by 
mountains  of  slate,  from  one  thousand  to 
fifteen  hundred  feet  in  elevation  from  their 


TO   GOOLPYEGAN.  313 

base,  and  some  of  the  highest  summits  per- 
haps two  thousand.  In  the  plain  are  eight 
or  ten  large  villages,  with  gardens,  the  names 
of  which  we  did  not  learn,  but  Kuddumgah 
is  the  only  one  that  falls  in  the  line  of  the 
public  road.  There  is  here  a  stream  of  less 
bitter  water  than  we  had  drunk  for  many 
days  past,  and  some  few  hovels  near  it  for 
the  shelter  of  passengers,  but  of  the  most 
humble  kind. 

Sept.  29th. — It  had  frozen  hard  during 
the  night,  and  we  had  found  it  necessary  to 
keep  up  a  blazing  fire  for  ourselves  and 
horses,  who  felt  equally  with  us  the  unex- 
pected severity  of  the  weather.  We  there- 
fore suffered  the  sun  to  be  a  full  hour  high 
before  we  departed,  and  even  then  we  shrunk 
within  our  cloaks  for  warmth. 

On  leaving  Kuddumgah,  we  went  up  east- 
south-east  over  the  side  of  a  sloping  land, 
having  high  hills  near  us  on  our  left,  and 
many  villages  and  gardens  in  the  plain  on 
our  right.  After  travelling  for  three  hours 
on  this  course,  we  reached  the  large  village 
of  Hufta,  whose  dwellings  are  secured  within 
a  castellated  enclosure  of  a  better  kind  than 
any  we  had  yet  seen,  and  whose  gardens  are 


314  FROM  HAMADAN 

more  extensive  and  more  productive  than 
most  others  which  we  had  passed.  It  is  here 
that  the  road  from  Kermanshah  and  Hama- 
dan  to  Ispahan  joins,  and  continues  the  same 
all  the  way  beyond  this.  As  we  met  here  a 
caravan  from  the  last  place,  making  its  halt, 
we  stayed  to  exchange  the  news  of  the  way, 
and  in  the  mean  time  regaled  ourselves  from 
the  gardens  of  Hufta  with  some  of  the  finest- 
flavoured  peaches  that  we  had  yet  found  in 
all  Persia. 

From  hence  we  turned  up  to  a  broad  pass 
between  two  hills,  keeping  south-easterly  for 
three  hours  more,  over  a  constant  but  slow 
ascent.  On  each  side  of  us,  at  the  distance 
of  only  two  or  three  miles,  were  mountains 
of  blue  slate,  some  of  them  two  hundred  feet 
high,  and,  like  all  the  rest  we  had  yet  seen, 
entirely  destitute  of  wood.  The  soil  was  here 
of  richer  quality  than  before ;  and  through 
our  whole  ride  of  three  hours,  we  found  the 
peasants  employed  in  ploughing  with  oxen 
in  pairs,  hoeing  weeds  by  a  hoe  similar  to  our 
own,  and  scattering  the  seed  by  hand,  with- 
out afterwards  harrowing  it  into  the  earth, 
by  which  means  flocks  of  wild  pigeons,  as  in 
Egypt  and  Syria,  robbed  the  husbandman  of 
half  his  labours. 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  315 

After  passing  a  small  cluster  of  huts  with 
little  water  and  no  gardens,  called  AUima- 
bad,  we  came,  in  half  an  hour  more,  to  the 
poor  village  of  Koramabad,  where  we  halted 
for  the  night. 

From  the  hill  which  terminates  the  dis- 
trict of  Tcharrah  to  this  place,  the  whole  of 
the  territory  is  called  Kezzaz,  and  here  this 
district  ends. 

Sept.  30th. — This  small  village  of  Kora- 
mabad, which  consists  of  about  thirty  or 
forty  huts,  was  so  destitute  of  every  thing 
but  bread  and  water,  that  we  were  compelled 
to  make  this  our  only  fare.  A  vigilant  look- 
out was  necessary  also  to  prevent  the  pilfer- 
ing of  the  inhabitants,  as  they  made  two  or 
three  silent  attempts  to  steal  in  upon  us 
unobserved  during  the  night,  but  without 
succeeding. 

We  quitted  this  place  soon  after  sunrise, 
and  going  up  south-east  by  south,  over  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  ascent  of  yesterday,  with 
hills  close  to  us  on  each  side,  we  soon  opened 
the  view  of  a  wide  plain,  terminated  by  dis- 
tant mountains,  and  entered  into  the  district 
of  Kemmera.  We  still  met  several  troops  of 
families  removing  to  the  westward,  in  con- 
sequence of  scarcity,  as  well  as  parties  both 


316  FROM    HAM  AD  AN 

of  the  living  and  the  dead,  on  their  way  to 
the  tomb  of  Imam  Ali,  at  Kerbela. 

From  the  top  of  the  slope,  which  extend- 
ed nearly  an  hour's  journey  beyond  Korama- 
bad,  we  began  to  descend,  coming  in  half  an 
hour  to  the  small  village  of  Saaky  Sookhta, 
which  consisted  of  a  few  huts,  enclosed  by  a 
mud  wall. 

About  an  hour  beyond  this,  we  had  op- 
posite to  us,  on  the  right,  a  neat  little  vil- 
lage, called  Chartack,  seated  at  the  foot  of 
the  hills,  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  from  the 
high  road,  and  inhabited  by  Christians,  of 
the  Armenian  sect ;  though,  in  all  other  re- 
spects, of  dress,  language,  manners,  &c.  they 
were  the  same  as  their  Moslem  neighbours. 

Our  course  now  became  south-east,  over  a 
good  road,  with  cultivated  land  on  each  side 
of  us ;  and  here  we  were  accosted  by  three 
men  looking  out  from  a  pit,  over  which  a 
ragged  piece  of  tent-cloth  was  raised.  They 
demanded  of  us  a  toll,  saying  they  were 
stationed  there  by  the  Government  to  keep 
the  road  clear  of  robbers,  showing  us  their 
muskets  at  the  same  time ;  but  as  we  sus- 
pected that  they  were  themselves  bad  cha- 
racters, using  this  plea  as  a  decoy,  we  an- 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  317 

swered  their  demand  in  a  tone  of  defiance, 
and  continued  steadily  on  our  way. 

It  was  nearly  three  hours  from  hence,  and 
after  we  had  passed  several  distant  villages 
on  our  right,  that  we  halted  to  drink  at  a 
small  place  called  Elia-abad,  peopled  by  Ar- 
menian Christians.  Though  the  rains  had 
failed  here,  as  well  as  in  all  the  other  parts 
of  the  country,  the  industrious  population 
had  distributed  the  water  of  several  little 
rivulets  among  their  grounds ;  and  we  saw, 
for  the  first  time,  the  young  corn  of  the 
second  crop  above  ground,  the  soil  being 
laid  out  in  oblong  beds,  with  bordering 
ridges  to  confine  the  water  on  them,  as  in 
garden  lands. 

From  hence,  in  about  an  hour  and  a  half, 
we  passed  through  a  ruined  village,  in  which 
was  a  saint's  tomb.  The  place  was  called 
Mohammedabad,  but  not  more  than  twenty 
of  its  dwellings  were  inhabited.  In  less  than 
two  hours  more,  on  a  winding  course  of  from 
east  to  south-east,  we  entered  Khomein,  where 
we  made  our  halt  at  a  khan,  as  incommodious 
as  most  of  the  smaller  ones  stationed  in  the 
way.  Through  the  latter  part  of  our  ride 
there  had  been  a  visible  improvement  in  the 


318  FROM    HAMADAN 

state  of  agriculture  and  general  industry, 
resulting  from  the  greater  activity  of  the 
people  alone,  as  the  soil  was  the  same,  and 
the  water  not  more  abundant  than  before. 
In  the  neighbourhood  of  Khomein,  which 
was  a  large  village  seated  amidst  gardens, 
we  saw  ploughed  land  sown  with  grain  and 
smoothly  harrowed,  extensive  fields  of  cotton, 
and  portions  of  the  soil  appropriated  to  other 
productions. 

The  village  of  Khomein  occupies  a  great 
extent  of  ground,  though  its  population  does 
not  much  exceed  two  thousand  souls.  The 
Sheik,  or  civil  governor,  for  there  are  no 
military  in  any  of  these  villages,  has  a  large 
and  good  house,  with  gardens  attached  to  it. 
There  were  in  this  man's  service  three  Rus- 
sians, who  had  been  taken  prisoners  in  the 
last  war;  and,  with  a  number  of  others, 
were  then  distributed  over  different  parts  of 
the  country,  to  prevent  their  being  an  ex- 
pense to  the  state.  Two  of  these  young 
men,  calling  at  the  khan  to  know  what 
strangers  had  arrived,  soon  became  on  an 
intimate  footing  with  Ismael,  to  whom  they 
told  their  story.  They  wore  the  Persian 
dress,  spoke  the  Persian  language,  and  ex- 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  319 

pressed  no  dissatisfaction  at  their  present 
state,  or  a  wish  to  ^return  home ;  though  we, 
as  Arabs,  sympathized  with  them  sufficiently 
to  induce  such  a  confession,  if  the  feeling 
itself  existed.  These  young  men  were  both 
shaved,  and  wore  mustachios  : — so  general  is 
the  wearing  of  the  beard  among  all  classes 
of  Persians,  that  these  were  the  only  two 
persons  we  had  noted  without  that  append- 
age since  our  entering  the  country. 

Oct.  1st. — On  leaving  Khomein,  we  went 
up  south-east  by  south  over  a  steep  hill ;  and 
continued  ascending  for  three  full  hours,  be- 
fore we  gained  the  summit  of  the  range  over 
which  we  had  to  pass.  We  watered  our 
horses  near  the  top,  and  met  at  the  spring 
there  a  numerous  troop  of  Persian  horse- 
soldiers,  from  the  district  of  Bactiar,  on  the 
west  of  Goolpyegan,  two  days'  journeys,  and 
in  the  mountains  of  Lauristan.  They  were 
leaving  the  service  of  different  chiefs  there^ 
and  going  to  seek  new  employment  under 
the  Shah  Zade  at  Melyer,  and  his  brother 
the  prince,  at  Kermanshah. 

At  the  top  of  the  dividing  range  of  hills, 
the  district  of  Kemmera  ends,  and  that  of 
Goolpyegan  begins,  its  fine  plain,  covered  with 


320  FROM    HAMADAN 

dwellings  and  gardens,  being  now  full  in  view 
before  us.  About  half-way  down  the  hill,  we 
passed  a  ruined  enclosure  of  buildings,  where 
there  are  stationed  some  agents  of  the  Go- 
vernment, to  collect  the  dues  on  merchandise 
passing  this  way,  who  suffered  us  to  proceed 
in  peace,  as  we  were  but  lightly  laden.  On 
entering  the  plain,  and  still  keeping  the  same 
course,  we  crossed  the  gravelly  bed  of  a  stream, 
now  dry,  by  a  lofty  bridge  of  three  arches. 
In  the  spring,  a  large  body  of  water  comes 
from  a  mountain  called  Badian,  a  few  hours 
to  the  south-west  of  this,  and  fills  this  bed, 
going  north-east  through  the  plain,  and  bear- 
ing the  name  of  the  mountain  in  which  it 
has  its  source. 

Soon  after  noon  we  entered  the  town  of 
Goolpyegan,  having  been  travelling  for  about 
six  hours  on  a  course  of  south-east  by  south  ; 
and  from  the  nature  of  our  road,  which  was 
almost  all  mountainous,  we  had  gone  per- 
haps a  distance,  in  a  straight  line,  of  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  miles.  The  chief  peculi- 
arities which  struck  us,  on  our  approach  to 
the  town,  were  two  tolerable  domes,  and  a 
solitary  minaret,  in  different  parts  of  it ;  but 
this  last,  poor  as  it  was,  was  the  more  re- 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  321 

markable,  as  it  was  the  only  one  we  had  yet 
seen  in  Persia. 

The  history  of  Goolpyegan,  as  related  to 
us  by  one  of  the  MoUahs,  who  came  to  bid 
us  the  "  Kosh  Amadeed,"  or  welcome,  in  our 
khan,  was  thus  detailed.  In  the  days  of  the 
Prophet,  there  was  a  large  city  here  called 
Nussway,  whose  inhabitants  were  all  worship- 
pers of  fire.  Imam  Ali,  and  his  son  Hassan, 
marching  against  it,  took  the  place  of  the  in- 
fidels by  the  edge  of  the  sword.  As  the  city, 
though  already  a  celebrated  one,  was  still 
rising  in  extent  and  consequence,  a  great  part 
of  its  population  was  employed  in  making 
bricks  and  mortar,  and  erecting  edifices ;  but 
such  was  the  consternation  occasioned  by  the 
approach  of  the  victorious  Imam  and  his  son, 
that  the  labourers  fled  in  all  directions,  with- 
out staying  to  wash  away  the  dirt  accumu- 
lated in  their  labours.  It  was  to  commemo- 
rate this  instantaneous  flight,  we  were  told, 
that  the  old  name  of  Nussway  was  changed 
to  the  present  name  of  Goolpyegan,  or  Gel- 
pyegan,  which,  in  old  Persian,  is  significant 
of  the  event  described : — Gel,  being  the  name 
of  mortar ;  pye,  the  name  of  the  feet ;  and 
gan,  the  completion  of  the  compound  ;  which, 

vol..   I.  y 


S22  FROM    HAMADAN 

taken  altogether,  means  "  fled  away,  with  the 
mortar  still  unwashed  from  them." 

In  our  passage  through  this  town,  I  noticed 
several  large  blocks  of  blue  stone,  with  Arabic 
and  Persian  inscriptions  on  them,  in  charac- 
ters of  a  very  old  form,  now  broken  and 
scattered  about ;  and  near  the  khan  in  which 
we  lodged,  were  two  rude  statues,  apparently 
intended  for  lions,  as  large  as  life,  but  of  the 
worst  possible  execution.  Goolpyegan,  for 
such  is  the  most  general  way  in  which  the 
name  of  the  place  is  pronounced,  contains  at 
present  about  two  thousand  dwellings,  and 
from  five  to  six  thousand  inhabitants.  The 
people  are  all  Sheeah  Moslems,  and  there  are 
neither  Jews  nor  Christians  resident  among 
them.  Here  are  three  poor  mosques,  a  small 
and  dirty  bath,  five  khans,  and  several  long 
ranges  of  covered  streets  where  the  bazaars 
are  held,  and  the  chief  trades  carried  on.  A 
manufacture  of  coarse  cotton  cloth  and  thread 
also  exists  here^  but  no  other  articles  are 
produced,  except  for  the  immediate  supply  of 
the  town  itself.  The  markets  are  tolerg^bly 
well  furnished  with  the  necessaries  of  life  at 
a  cheap  rate ;  but  the  people  are  in  general 


TO    GOOLPYKGAN.  323 

extremely  poor,  and  their  town  is  of  a  cor- 
responding appearance. 

Oct.  2nd. — We  had  been  stared  at  by  vi- 
sitors, and  questioned  and  cross-examined  as 
much  as  if  we  had  been  a  Chinese  party,  in- 
stead of  persons  believed  to  be  Arabs.  The 
chief  cause  of  this  appeared  to  be,  our  having 
the  hardihood  to  travel  alone,  and  not  putting 
ourselves  under  the  protection  of  a  caravan. 
It  was  sufficiently  adventurous,  they  thought, 
for  people  of  the  country  to  move  from  one 
village  to  another  alone ;  but  no  Persian  in 
his  senses  would  go  further.  To  see,  there- 
fore, three  perfect  strangers  wandering  on  by 
themselves,  over  such  a  tract  of  country,  and 
in  such  times  as  these,  excited  a  suspicion, 
either  that  our  minds  were  not  perfectly 
right,  or  that  our  motives  and  intentions  in 
travelling,  were  not  strictly  pure.  We  an- 
swered all  their  enquiries  with  great  patience 
and  civility,  though  the  most  common  ones, 
of  "  Where  are  you  from  ?  whither  are  you 
going  ?"  were  asked  us  so  frequently,  and  by 
such  insignificant  persons,  that  it  became  in- 
sufferably tedious.  It  was  in  a  fit  of  despair 
produced  by  this  annoyance,  that,  thinking 

Y  2 


324  FROM    HAMADAN 

of  Dr.  Franklin's  expedient  in  a  nearly  simi- 
lar case,  I  commanded  Ismael  to  stand  up, 
in  front  of  our  recess  in  the  khan,  and  pro- 
claim with  a  loud  voice  what  I  should  prompt 
to  him.     He  accordingly  l)egan  : — 

''  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear  ! 
Now,  be  it  known  unto  you,  O  brethren  and 
fellow  men,  that  the  Hadjee  Abdallah-ibn- 
Suliman-el-Masri,  the  Dervish  Ismael^  his 
companion,  and  the  Fakeer  Zein-el-Abedeen, 
their  servant,  are,  all  three,  true  and  upright 
Moslem  worshippers  of  one  indivisible  God, 
admitting  neither  partner  nor  companion  ;— 
for  God  is  great;  there  is  no  other  God  but 
God ;  and  Mohammed  is  the  Apostle  of  God! 
I  say  again  unto  you,  O  ye  worshippers  in 
the  same  faith,  that  we  three,  by  name  re- 
peated, come  from  Bagdad,  and  are  going  to 
Ispahan,  on  business  which  the  Lord  best 
knoweth.  Praised  for  ever  be  his  name  !  We 
worship  no  false  gods ;  we  bear  no  enmity 
to  the  ruling  powers;  and  we  are  at  peace 
with  all  mankind.  In  the  name  of  God,  the 
Great  and  the  Merciful,  and  truly  for  the 
sake  of  him,  suffer  us  then  to  repose  in  peace! 
This  is  all  which  we  can  declare  of  ourselves. 
Go  ye  forth,  therefore,  and  declare  it  to  the 


TO    GOOLPYEGAN.  325 

world ;  but,  since  we  owe  nothing  to  any 
man,  and  desire  only  peace,  ask  henceforth 
no  more  of  us,  for  more  cannot  be  revealed." 
The  effect  which  this  harangue  produced 
was  that  of  shame  in  some,  and  wonder  in 
others  ;  and  while  more  than  one  voice  ex- 
claimed, "  The  men  are  possessed  of  devils, 
and  are  mad  ;"  others  replied,  in  my  hear- 
ing, "  Then  it  is  a  very  sensible  madness  ; 
for,  in  truth,  what  have  ye  to  do  with  them  ?" 
After  this  the  crowd  gradually  dispersed. 


VOL.  I.  Y  3 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FROM      GOOLPYEGAN,      BY      RHAMATA,BAD,    DE- 
HUCK    AND    CHAL-SEEAH^      TO    ISPAHAN. 

The  sun  had  risen  before  we  quitted 
Goolpyegan,  which  we  did  with  a  large  train 
of  boys  at  our  heels,  paying  us  the  honours 
shown  to  all  curious  strangers,  by  the  vil- 
lagers of  every  country.  Our  course  was 
now  nearly  south-east;  and  on  crossing  the 
plain  in  which  this  town  is  seated,  we  noted 
three  large  villages,  all  within  the  space  of 
two  or  three  miles,  on  our  left,  to  the  north- 
east of  it.  They  were  called,  severally, 
Khallah  Meean,  Khallah  Baula,  and  Dey 
Koocheck ;  each  having  many  gardens,  and 
each  being  enclosed  by  mud  walls,  with  bas- 
tions at  the  angles. 

In   about  an  hour  and  a  half  after   our 


CHAPTER  XI. 


MOUNTAINS,  AND  DISTANT  VIEW  OF  ISPAHAN. 


rttbUshed  by  Henry  Colbum,  U  New  Burlington  Street.     Jan.  I,  1829. 


FROM    GOOLPYEGAN    TO    ISPAHAN.         327 

leaving  Goolpyegan,  we  had  opposite  to  us, 
on  the  left  of  our  road,  a  small  village  called 
Sefeeabad,  and  in  another  hour  we  entered 
the  town  of  Waneshoon.  This  was  seated 
in  a  valley,  with  a  lofty  hill  hanging  over  it 
on  the  west.  It  contained  about  eight  hun- 
dred houses,  many  gardens,  and  a  mosque, 
with  an  octagonal  and  conical  dome  rising 
from  the  centre.  The  exterior  of  this  had 
been  once  ornamented  with  coloured  tiles, 
chiefly  blue ;  but  the  outer  coating  having 
fallen  gradually  to  decay,  there  remained 
only  the  interior  brick-work  with  a  few 
patches  of  the  tiles  on  it. 

In  two  hours  and  a  half  from  hence,  on 
the  same  course,  we  passed  a  small  village 
on  the  left,  called  Khompeach ;  and  in  three 
hours  more,  going  always  over  a  monoto- 
nous road  of  bare  slate  rock  and  barren 
soil,  we  made  our  halt  at  Rahmatabad,  leav- 
ing the  more  commonly  frequented  station 
of  Door,  in  a  valley  to  the  north-north-east 
of  us,  distant  about  four  miles. 

This  village  of  Rahmatabad  was  said  to 
have  been  originally  a  stronghold  of  demons, 
who  fled  hither  when  they  were  driven  out 
of  such  human  bodies  as  they  had  haunted. 


328  FROM    GOOLPYEGAN 

The  present  inhabitants  were  happy,  how- 
ever, in  the  belief  that  those  evil  days  were 
now  passed,  and  that  Imam  Ali  had  effectu- 
ally purged  the  place  of  all  its  former  im- 
purities. This  saint  is  in  such  high  repute 
among  the  people  of  this  country,  that  in- 
stead of  the  common  exclamation  of  the 
Turks  and  Arabs  :  '  Ya  UUah  !'  '  O  God  !' 
that  of  the  Persians  is  uniformly  '  Ya  Ali !' 
'  O  Ali !'  an  expression  of  continual  occur- 
rence. 

The  village  of  Rahmatabad  is  small,  en- 
tirely without  gardens,  and  has  only  a  small 
portion  of  cultivated  land  near  it,  though 
its  water  was  the  best  we  had  drunk  for 
some  time.  The  houses,  which  are  not  more 
than  a  hundred  in  number,  rise  above  each 
other  around  a  steep-pointed  hill ;  and  the 
whole  aspect  of  the  place  is  as  dreary  and 
miserable  as  possible. 

My  Dervish  was  here  taken  seriously  ill, 
having  a  violent  fever,  with  all  its  usual 
accompaniments  ;  and  free  as  he  was  from 
most  of  the  superstitious  notions  of  his 
countrymen,  yet  he  firmly  believed  in  the 
existence  of  an  intermediate  race  of  genii 
both  good  and  bad.     It  was  curious  to  ob- 


TO    ISPAHAN.  329 

serve  this  man,  when  praying,  as  he  some- 
times did,  for  the  sake  of  preserving  our 
reputation ;  for  though  it  was  clear  that 
he  had  no  firm  belief  in  the  religion  in 
which  he  had  been  brought  up,  yet  he  al- 
ways saluted  his  guardian  angels,  over  his 
shoulder,  (which  is  a  part  of  the  ceremony 
of  Mohammedan  devotion,)  with  the  greatest 
respect,  and  firmly  believed  that  they  had 
a  share  in  all  the  good  or  evil  that  befel 
him.  It  was  thus  that  he  roused  me  from  a 
sound  sleep  before  midnight,  to  tell  me  of 
a  demon  having  distorted  his  limbs,  and 
placed  him  in  such  a  position  that  he  could 
not  himself  distinguish  his  hands  from  his 
feet.  It  was  in  vain  I  assured  him  that 
these  were  among  the  common  symptoms 
of  fever,  and  that  they  arose  from  the  dis- 
ordered state  of  his  blood.  He  disbelieved 
all  I  said,  but  gave  full  credit  to  what  had 
been  told  him  of  Rahmatabad  having  been 
originally  a  seat  of  demons,  and  insisted 
that  it  was  one  of  these  who  had  twisted 
his  limbs  into  such  indescribable  postures 
during  the  early  part  of  the  night. 

After  this,  no  sleep  was  obtained  by  any 
of  our  party.     A  large  fire  was  kindled,  and 


330  FROM    GOOLPYEGAN 

we  waited  patiently  for  daylight,  as  we  all 
dreaded  the  cold  too  much  to  venture  out 
before  sunrise. 

Oct.  3rd. — When  the  day  was  broadly 
opened,  we  knocked  out  the  ashes  from  our 
pipes,  and  put  a  stop  to  the  long  stories  that 
we  had  each  been  telling  in  his  turn,  over 
the  blazing  fire  around  which  we  sat ;  and 
in  half  an  hour  after  the  sun  was  up,  we 
were  again  on  our  way. 

Our  course  lay  about  south-east  by  east, 
over  a  desert  and  rocky  road,  until  in  about 
two  hours  we  came  to  the  village  of  Dum- 
boo,  where  we  watered  our  horses  at  a  large 
pond  in  the  middle  of  the  town,  and  alighted 
ourselves  to  drink.  The  place  was  small, 
poor,  and  without  gardens  ;  but  about  a  mile 
or  two  to  the  westward  of  it,  at  the  foot  of 
the  hills,  there  was  a  larger  village,  called 
Eshen,  seated  among  cultivation  and  trees. 

Two  hours  from  hence,  on  a  south-east 
course,  brought  us  to  a  small  square  enclo- 
sure of  dwellings,  with  a  large  walled  garden 
near,  called  Kaloo;  and  an  hour  beyond 
that,  on  a  more  easterly  course,  brought  us 
to  a  similar  place,  with  a  few  poplar  trees, 
called  Ali-abad. 


TO    ISPAHAN.  331 

Half  an  hour  after  this,  we  passed  to  the 
south  of  a  long  valley,  with  many  gardens ; 
and  in  less  than  an  hour  more,  on  the  same 
course,  we  arrived  at  Dehuck,  where  we 
alighted  at  the  common  caravansera. 

Our  journey  throughout  the  day  had  been 
over  a  bare  road  of  desert  soil,  with  patches 
of  brown  slate-rock.  The  plain  around  us 
in  every  direction  was  entirely  waste,  and 
the  horizon  every  where  intercepted  by  bro- 
ken and  woodless  hills.  The  scenery,  on  the 
whole,  resembled  many  parts  of  the  coast  of 
Arabia,  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Red 
Sea ;  and  the  resemblance  was  rendered  the 
more  striking,  by  our  feeling  the  want  of 
water  here,  and  seeing  many  herds  of  ga- 
zelles :  both  of  these  peculiarities  occurring 
now  for  the  first  time  since  our  being  in 
Persia. 

Just  before  entering  Dehuck,  we  were 
met  by  a  green-turbaned  Seid,  on  horse- 
back, armed  with  a  lance,  who  stopped  us 
to  enquire  the  news  from  Imam  Hassan. 
This  man  was  employed  on  the  holy  errand 
of  going  round  to  all  the  villages  in  this 
quarter,  stating  his  intention  to  set  out,  on 
a  fixed  day,  as  chief  of  the  Zuwars,  or  Pil- 


332  FROM    GOOLPYEGAN 

grims,  and  inviting  all  who  respect  the  me- 
mory of  the  Imam,  to  follow  him  to  his 
tomb.  A  certain  tribute  is  exacted,  for  the 
supposed  protection,  for  it  is  not  real,  which 
this  chief  of  the  Zuwars  affords ;  so  that,  by 
the  journey,  he  gains  from  three  hundred  to 
four  hundred  rupees,  and  has  his  expenses 
paid;  while  to  the  pilgrims,  whom  he  leads^ 
it  is  all  expenditure  and  loss. 

These  chiefs  of  the  Zuwars  are  the  only  per- 
sons who  commonly  carry  spears,  or  lances, 
in  this  part  of  Persia  ;  and  as  mine  was  suffi- 
ciently long  to  attract  the  notice  of  most  of 
the  peasants  as  we  passed,  I  had  several  times 
been  taken  for  one  of  these  chiefs,  and  was 
more  particularly  so  in  the  present  instance 
by  the  Seid  himself,  who  asked  me  of  how 
many  my  party  originally  consisted  ?  and 
what  was  about  the  rough  amount  of  my 
gains  ?  to  both  of  which  I  gave  but  unsatis- 
factory answers. 

At  many  of  the  villages  in  our  route  from 
Kermanshah  thus  far,  we  had  seen  stone 
doors  used  in  the  garden  walls — being  large 
slabs  of  blue  slate,  of  which  all  the  hills 
between  Hamadan  and  this  are  composed; 
. — so  placed,  as  to  turn  on  a  pivot,  of  a  piece 


TO    ISPAHAN.  333 

with  itself,  and  bolted  on  the  inside  by 
thrusting  the  hand  in  through  a  large  hole. 
Here,  however,  at  Dehuck,  we  saw  these 
stone  doors  used  in  the  dwellings  of  the 
people,  some  of  them  of  a  considerable  size, 
and  one  of  them  with  the  words  '  Ya  Ali' 
deeply  cut  in  good  Arabic  characters.  The 
largest  of  these  doors  was  one  now  lying 
disused,  before  the  entrance  to  a  mosque,  to 
which  it  might  once  have  belonged.  This 
was  nearly  six  feet  square,  and  six  inches 
thick,  in  one  smooth,  solid,  and  unfractured 
piece.  The  common  size  of  those  now  hung 
here  was  larger  than  of  these  seen  in  the 
Hauran,  and  at  the  Tombs  of  Oom  Kais,  in 
Syria;  but  they  were  not  in  general  so  thick : 
none  of  them  were  well-finished,  or  orna- 
mented like  the  former  ;  but  they  were  hung 
and  closed  in  exactly  the  same  way.  The 
scarcity  of  wood  had  in  both  instances  been, 
no  doubt,  the  principal  cause  of  their  use ; 
though  here,  security  was  certainly  an  addi- 
tional motive,  as  there  were  now  existing 
many  new  as  well  as  old  wooden  doors,  and 
a  sufficient  number  of  poplar  trees  to  furnish 
the  materials  for  many  more, 

Dehuck  is  seated  in  a  dreary  and  narrov/ 


334  FROM    GOOLPYEGAN 

valley,  between  bare  rocky  hills.  The  little 
cultivatable  land  about  it  is  better  managed 
than  is  usual  in  this  country.  We  saw  here, 
ploughing,  harrowing,  dressing  with  manure, 
turning  up  with  the  spade  and  hoe,  and  other 
operations  of  husbandry,  performed  as  well 
as  in  Europe.  The  town  contains  a  popula- 
tion of  about  three  thousand  inhabitants,  all 
Mohammedans  of  the  Sheeah  sect.  It  has 
a  mosque,  and  a  small  market-place  ;  but  all 
the  necessaries  of  life  were  still  dearer  than 
we  had  found  them  at  any  other  place  be- 
fore on  our  way. 

Oct.  4th. — We  met  here  a  party  of  horse- 
men, conveying  from  Kezzaz  to  Ispahan  a 
very  fine  lad  of  distinction,  who  was  going 
to  meet  his  father  at  that  city  ;  and,  wish- 
ing to  profit  by  their  company,  we  set  out 
with  them  soon  after  midnight. 

Our  course  was  about  south-east  by  east, 
over  a  barren  tract  of  land  ;  and  in  little 
more  than  an  hour,  we  passed  by  the  large 
village  of  El  Hhussny,  where,  as  well  as  at 
Door,  a  station  we  had  seen  from  Rahmata- 
bad,  there  is  a  large  khan,  like  those  be- 
tween Bagdad  and  Kermanshah,  but  now 
falling  to  ruins  for  want  of  repair. 


TO    ISPAHAN.  335 

We  continued  on  our  way  until  daylight, 
when  we  alighted  for  prayer, — a  ceremony, 
the  public  performance  of  which  is  deemed 
indispensable  when  others  are  present,  though 
few,  even  among  the  Mohammedans,  are  so 
punctual  in  observing  it  when  quite  alone. 

Our  road  continued  to  lie  over  a  barren 
waste,  with  blue  slate  hills  on  each  side,  and 
was  mostly  on  the  same  course,  until  we 
reached  a  large  public  khan  at  the  station 
of  Chal  Seeah,  where  we  alighted.  This  was 
one  of  the  best  buildings  of  the  kind  that 
we  had  yet  seen,  and  was  still  in  excellent 
order,  though  the  situation  in  which  it  stands 
is  a  very  dreary  one,  and  the  small  village 
attached  to  it  consists  only  of  a  few  huts. 
The  distance  from  Dehuck  to  this  place  is 
accounted  eight  fursucks,  and  we  had  per- 
formed it  in  about  eight  hours.  We  had 
gone,  however,  at  the  rate  of  about  five 
miles  an  hour,  or  considerably  faster  than 
the  common  walking-pace  of  a  man ;  all  our 
company  being  lightly  mounted,  and  our 
horses  walking  briskly  in  company.  In  every 
other  instance  in  which  the  number  of  fur- 
sucks  from  station  to  station  was  known,  we 
had  never  gone  at  the  full  rate  of  a  fursuck 


336  FROM    GOOLPYEGAN 

per  hour,  though  our  pace  was  never  less 
than  four  Enghsh  miles.  It  is  true  that, 
among  the  people  of  the  country  themselves, 
the  distances  from  place  to  place  are  very 
differently  stated,  according  to  the  time 
which  they  may  have  themselves  employed 
in  performing  it,  as  well  as  that  there  are  no 
public  marks  or  posts  by  which  the  real  ex- 
tent of  the  fursuck  can  be  determined  ;  but 
all  confess  that  caravans  even  of  mules  and 
asses  do  not  go  a  fursuck  per  hour,  and  that 
it  requires  a  brisk  walking-pace  of  a  light 
horseman  to  accomplish  it ;  so  that  the  Per- 
sian fursuck  is  certainly  greater  than  the 
English  league,  and  equal,  I  should  conceive, 
to  four  English  miles  at  least. 

We  saw  no  cultivation  during  all  our  last 
day's  route  :  nothing  but  barren  plains,  and 
rugged  hills  and  mountains  bounding  them 
in  every  direction,  without  a  tree  or  a  bush  of 
any  description.  We  had  no  water  through- 
out all  the  way,  not  even  so  much  as  a  small 
pool  or  rill;  and  both  the  wells  of  the  station 
we  had  last  quitted,  and  of  that  to  which  we 
had  just  arrived,  were  brackish  and  disagree- 
able in  the  extreme.  The  scarcity  and  bad 
quality  of  the  water,  all  the  way  from  Ker- 


TO    ISPAHAN.  337 

manshah  to  this  place,  had  been  often  felt 
by  us  ;  the  latter  indeed  was  a  serious  evil, 
as  it  materially  affected  our  health,  since  we 
had  no  other  beverage,  and  neither  coffee 
nor  any  other  corrective,  except  now  and 
then  a  little  burnt  bread  to  use  in  it.  The 
water  of  the  Kara  Soo  is  so  superior  to  all 
others  of  which  we  had  yet  tasted  in  Persia, 
that  it  was  easy  to  conceive  why  the  ancient 
monarchs  of  the  country  gave  to  the  Choaspes 
the  distinguished  preference  which  they  did, 
in  carrying  its  water  with  them  even  on  their 
distant  expeditions. 

Oct.  5th. — The  young  lad,  with  whose 
party  we  had  come  the  last  day's  stage,  had 
evidently  been  brought  up  with  extraordinary 
tenderness,  and  was  treated  with  correspond- 
ing respect  by  his  servants,  who  gratified  all 
his  momentary  whims  without  a  murmur. 
He  was  now  so  fatigued  by  a  journey  of  two 
or  three  days,  though  he  rode  upon  a  pillow- 
ed saddle,  that  he  was  unable  to  go  further 
without  a  day's  halt.  As  he  professed  him- 
self to  be  extremely  pleased  with  our  company, 
and  was  charmed  beyond  description  by  the 
long  stories  with  which  I  amused  him  on  the 
road,  respecting  the  Infidels  in  India,  where 

VOL.  I.  z 


338  FROM    GOOLPYEGAN 

I  professed  to  have  been,  he  begged  of  us  to 
retard  our  journey  a  day  for  his  sake,  and 
promised  to  take  me  to  his  father,  who  was 
a  great  man  at  Ispahan,  and  who,  he  was 
sure,  would  be  delighted  at  the  friendship  his 
son  had  formed  for  me  :  on  which  ground  he 
insisted  upon  my  becoming  his  guest,  and  re- 
maining with  him  for  a  month  or  two  at  least. 
I  urged  the  importance  of  my  getting  to 
Bushire  within  a  stated  time,  as  the  route 
from  thence  further  on  was  by  sea  ;  at  which 
the  youth  expressed  great  alarm,  and  en- 
treated me,  for  his  sake,  as  well  as  that  of 
my  father  and  mother,  never  to  trust  myself 
upon  so  dangerous  an  element.  He  told  me 
the  name  of  his  father,  Assad  UUah  Khan, 
with  the  place  of  his  residence  in  Ispahan  ; 
begging  me  not  to  omit  calling  to  see  him 
on  the  morrow,  when  he  hoped  to  arrive 
after  us,  as  the  first  thing  he  should  have  to 
tell  his  father  would  be  of  the  kind-hearted 
Hadjee  from  Egypt,  whom  he  had  met  on  the 
road.  I  promised  him  to  do  this,  though,  at 
the  time,  without  the  intention  of  keeping 
my  word,  as  it  would  lead  perhaps  to  a  train 
of  circumstances  which  might  much  embarrass 
me  ;  and,  whether  there  was  any  thing  in  my 


TO    ISPAHAN.  ^39 

looks  or  behaviour  at  the  moment,  which  be- 
trayed my  disposition  or  not,  the  youth  sus- 
pected that  I  was  promising  what  I  should 
not  perform,  and  absolutely  wept  at  our  part- 
ing, saying,  it  was  more  than  likely  that  I 
should  never  think  of  him  again.  I  was  not 
quite  unmoved  at  this  unaccountable  degree 
of  sensibility  towards  so  perfect  a  stranger 
as  myself,  and  knew  not  what  construction  I 
ought  to  place  on  such  an  incident,  or  how  I 
ought  to  act  on  such  an  occasion.  The  Der- 
vish Ismael,  as  well  as  the  Fakeer  Zein-el- 
Abedeen,  my  constant  companions,  were  how- 
ever still  more  affected  than  myself;  and  as 
to  the  former,  his  sympathies  and  recollec- 
tions were  so  powerfully  called  forth,  that  he 
was  moved  even  to  tears,  and  exclaimed — 
'  Every  word  from  his  divine  lips  was  like  a 
dagger  in  my  heart.' 

This  was  a  moonlight  scene,  soon  after  mid- 
night,— the  hour  which  we  had  fixed  for  set- 
ting out ;  and  though  I  sang  some  fragments 
of  Arab  songs  by  the  way,  and  was  as  light- 
hearted  and  disposed  to  talk  as  usual,  yet  I 
could  scarcely  get  a  word  from  either  of  my 
musing  companions. 

We  went  from  the  khan  of  Chal  Seeah  in 
2  z  2 


340  FROM    GOOLPYEGAN 

a  south-east  by  east  direction,  along  a  barren 
road,  having  a  wide  plain  on  our  left,  bounded 
by  a  distant  and  even  range  of  mountains, 
faintly  seen  by  the  light  of  the  moon  ;  and 
on  our  right,  a  succession  of  steep,  ragged, 
and  detached  slate  hills,  following  each  other 
close  to,  and  in  the  direction  of  the  road. 
We  neither  saw  a  dwelling,  nor  heard  the 
sound  of  any  living  being  for  nearly  five 
hours,  when  we  passed  on  our  left  the  little 
village  of  Noushirwan,  with  an  apparently 
new  and  exceedingly  neat  khan.  From  hence 
we  came  on  cultivated  ground,  with  water 
and  trees,  and  the  day  promised  to  exhibit  to 
us  an  improved  scenery.  The  opening  of  the 
morning  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  I  ever 
remember  to  have  witnessed ;  while  the  pale 
blue  light  of  the  moon  was  yet  visible  in  the 
west,  after  her  sinking  below  the  horizon,  the 
eastern  sky  was  already  warmed  with  the 
young  pink  blush  of  the  sun's  approach,  at 
the  same  time  that  the  zenith  showed  a  deep 
azure  canopy,  studded  with  the  brilliant  re- 
tinue of  the  Pleiades,  Aldebaran,  Orion's  Belt, 
and  Jupiter,  in  one  lengthened  train,  beam- 
ing in  full  meridian  splendour. 

We  had  now  on  each  side  of  our  road  corn- 


TO    ISPAHAN.  341 

fields  of  the  third  crop  during  the  present 
year;  some  in  all  the  fresh  green  of  early 
spring,  and  others  in  the  mellower  maturity 
of  autumn,  with  gardens  and  trees  in  great 
variety  and  abundance,  all  watered  by  nu- 
merous canals  leading  in  every  direction. 

The  ruined  outskirts  of  Ispahan  already 
began  to  appear,  and  presented  a  melancholy 
picture  of  desertion  and  devastation.  Long 
streets,  and  large  buildings,  the  interior  of 
which  preserved  all  their  original  freshness, 
some  indeed  seeming  to  have  been  scarcely 
ever  inhabited,  were  now  abandoned  to  utter 
desolation,  and  were  the  haunts  only  of  the 
solitary  raven. 

We  went  for  nearly  two  hours  through  a 
succession  of  this  ruined  scenery,  which  could 
not  be  witnessed  without  exciting  the  most 
powerful  emotions  of  melancholy.  The  rising 
sun  presented  us,  however,  a  fine  and  exten- 
sive landscape,  as  its  rays  gilded  the  enchant- 
ing picture  of  the  plain  of  Ispahan,  with  its 
mountain  boundaries,  and  the  world  of  in- 
teresting objects  which  they  enclosed,  thus 
powerfully  contrasting  the  permanent  beau- 
ties of  nature  with  the  more  unstable  works 
of  man. 


FROM    GOOLPYEGAN 


Among  the  peculiar  objects  which  attract- 
ed my  notice  were  a  number  of  large  circu- 
lar towers,  sloping  a  little  upwards  from  the 
base,  and  finished  with  ornamented  tops,  in 
a  style  very  different  from  Saracen  works, 
rising  in  the  centre  of  gardens,  and  seeming 
like  so  many  castles.  These,  I  learnt,  were 
edifices  erected  for  the  resort  of  pigeons,  who 
were  suffered  to  feed  on  the  grain,  the  me- 
lons, and  the  fruits  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  retire  to  these  towers  to  roost.  The  in- 
terior of  these  buildings,  as  I  myself  saw,  con- 
tained some  hundreds  of  separate  cells  for 
the  birds  ;  and  I  was  assured  that  they  were 
cleaned  out  every  ten  or  twelve  days,  and 
the  dirt  carefully  preserved  as  manure  for 
particular  fruits,  when  the  fattest  of  the  birds 
were  taken  away  for  sale,  the  eggs  and  young 
carefully  attended  to,  and  the  whole  ma- 
naged with  great  punctuality  and  skill. 
These  establishments  are  all  private  proper- 
ty, and  belong  to  the  owners  of  the  grounds 
near ;  and  the  occupation  is  found  to  be  an 
exceedingly  lucrative  one,  though  there  are 
a  great  number  of  these  establishments  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  each  other. 

We  found  the  road  near  the  city  covered 


TO   ISPAHAN.  343 

with  asses,  which  were  laden  with  the  dirt  of 
the  highway,  gathered  up  by  scavengers  for 
the  use  of  the  gardens  near,  so  that  manure 
is  of  more  than  usual  value  here  ;  and  in- 
deed, where  three  crops  of  grain  are  grown 
yearly— a  succession  of  spring,  summer,  au- 
tumn, and  winter  fruits  kept  up — and  where 
the  pasture  of  flocks  is  so  well  attended  to, 
that,  they  bring  forth  their  young  twice  in 
the  year,  and  produce  milk,  butter,  and 
cheese,  at  all  seasons — a  constant  supply  of 
manure  and  water  must  be  indispensable. 

The  gate  by  which  we  entered  the  present 
restricted  city  of  Ispahan  was  of  very  mean 
appearance,  exceedingly  small,  and  its  passage 
obstructed  by  trains  of  camels  of  nearly  the 
same  kind  and  size  as  the  Arabian  ones. 
There  was  also  great  poverty  in  the  aspect 
of  the  few  first  streets  through  which  we 
passed,  though  the  space  of  wall  between  the 
shops  was  whitewashed,  and  painted  with  the 
most  grotesque  figures  —  in  combat,  in  the 
chase,  at  athletic  games,  &c. — all  very  gau- 
dily coloured  and  badly  drawn.  After  a  few 
winding  passages,  we  came  at  length  to  some 
noble  ranges  of  bazaars,  wider,  more  lofty, 
and  better   lighted   than  any  similar  places 


344  FROM    GOOLPYEGAN 

that  I  had  seen,  and  where  the  shops  were 
larger  and  better  furnished  than  those  ei- 
ther of  Cairo  or  Damascus. 

We  met  here  a  funeral  procession,  which 
was  not  of  the  ordinary  Moslem  appearance  ; 
and  indeed  I  at  first  thought  it  to  have  been 
a  Christian  one,  until  assured  of  the  con- 
trary. In  front  of  the  train  came  eight  or 
ten  persons  bearing  particoloured  flags  over 
their  shoulders,  and  chanting  hymns ;  next 
followed  an  equal  number  carrying  large  wax 
tapers  lighted  ;  and  to  these  succeeded  the 
corpse,  borne  in  a  close  palanquin,  with  dou- 
ble poles,  or  shafts,  on  the  shoulders  of  men. 
The  friends  of  the  deceased  followed  this  in 
pairs ;  and  a  crowd  of  spectators  of  both 
sexes  closed  the  procession.  These  rites  are 
peculiar  to  the  Sheeahs,  and  are  held  in  abo- 
mination by  the  Soonnees  ;  though  they  are 
sometimes,  as  I  was  told,  practised  at  Imam 
Moosa,  and  other  Persian  quarters  of  Bag- 
dad, where  the  Sheeahs  are  in  sufficient  num- 
bers to  defend  themselves  from  the  insults 
of  their  Soonnee  masters,  if  they  should  be 
attacked. 

We  found,  after  some  enquiry,  a  halt  of 
comparative  privacy  in  the  khan  Mohur  Dar 


TO    ISPAHAN.  345 

Koosh,  where  there  were  but  few  travellers, 
and  these  chiefly  Bagdad  merchants.  In  this 
we  obtained  an  upper  chamber,  and  soon 
made  ourselves  at  ease. 

Retired  as  we  had  hoped  to  have  been, 
our  room  was  soon  crowded  with  visitors  and 
enquirers,  more  particularly  from  those  Arab 
merchants,  who  were  waiting  with  impatience 
for  news  from  Bagdad,  before  they  set  out  on 
their  return  thither.  This,  though  a  suffi- 
cient evil  at  a  moment  of  great  fatigue,  and 
on  the  first  arrival  as  a  stranger  in  a  large 
city,  led  to  the  most  agreeable  results.  In 
the  course  of  those  enquiries,  which  we  were 
justly  entitled  to  make  in  our  turn,  we  learnt 
that  there  was  an  Englishman  halting  here 
on  his  way  to  Tabreez.  As  soon,  therefore, 
as  our  host  of  Persian  and  Arab  visitors  had 
dispersed,  I  dispatched  a  note  to  this  gentle- 
man, whose  name  I  did  not  yet  know,  stating 
my  arrival  here,  and  desiring  to  learn  how  far 
it  would  be  congenial  with  his  own  wishes  to 
promote  an  interview.  An  answer  was  speedily 
returned,  saying  that  Mr.  Armstrong  would 
wait  upon  us  in  person,  accompanied  by  his 
friend,  Assad  UUah  Khan  ;  and  in  less  than 
half  an  hour  they  came,  attended  by  a  suite 


346  FROM    GOOLPYEGAN 

of  servants,  to  visit  us  in  our  humble  quar- 
ters. Mr.  Armstrong  was  an  elderly  person, 
who  had  been  long  settled  in  India  as  a 
builder  and  general  director  of  artificers' 
work,  and  had  for  the  last  seven  years  been 
employed  by  the  Prince  Abbas  Mirza,  at 
Tabreez,  in  the  establishment  of  an  arsenal 
there,  the  founding  of  cannon,  equipping 
them,  and  setting  on  foot  a  variety  of  useful 
works  of  a  military  kind.  His  companion, 
Assad  UUah  Khan,  the  Topjee  Bashee,  or 
chief  of  the  artillery,  attached  to  the  King's 
establishment  at  Teheraun,  was  the  father  of 
the  young  lad  Mohammed  Ali,  whom  we  had 
met  on  the  road,  and  who  was  in  hourly 
expectation  of  the  arrival  of  his  son.  Our 
meeting  was  warm  and  cordial ;  and  after 
the  first  enquiries  were  answered,  it  was  in- 
sisted on,  that  I  should  come  and  partake  of 
their  quarters,  at  one  of  the  old  palaces  of 
Shah  Abbas,  which  had  been  assigned  to  them 
by  the  Government  during  their  stay  here. 

The  visit  of  a  Frank,  attended  by  a  Khan 
and  his  servant,  to  a  humble  Arab  in  a  pub- 
lic caravansera,  raised,  as  was  natural,  a  thou- 
sand conjectures  ;  but  on  its  being  studiously 
circulated  that  this  Frank  was  an   English- 


TO    ISPAHAN,  347 

man,  who  might  at  some  former  period  have 
received  attention  from  the  Hadjee,  which  he 
had  the  gratitude  to  feel  and  repay,  all  con- 
tradictory opinions  were  reconciled,  and  ge- 
neral admiration  was  bestowed  on  so  un- 
usual a  character. 

It  was  near  evening  before  we  left  our 
quarters  at  the  caravansera  to  follow  our 
friends  to  those  which  they  had  prepared  for 
us  at  the  palace.  We  were  there  lodged  in 
gorgeously  magnificent  halls,  with  whole 
suites  of  rooms,  gardens,  and  delightful 
walks,  open  to  us  on  all  sides ;  and  the  plea- 
sure of  this  change  was  still  augmented  by 
intelligent  and  kind  society,  and  the  com- 
forts of  domestic  life,  in  a  very  high  degree. 


n 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ISPAHAN EARLY  SETTLEMENT    OF   THE    JEWS 

PERSIAN     DRAMATIC     STORY-TELLERS      AND 

SINGERS. 

During  a  stay  of  several  days  which  we 
made  at  Ispahan,  before  any  safe  or  conve- 
nient opportunity  of  prosecuting  our  journey 
offered  itself,  my  whole  time  was  passed  in 
one  unbroken  succession  of  pleasures,  dur- 
ing which  I  was  so  highly  honoured,  so  con- 
stantly delighted,  and,  in  short,  so  completely 
surrounded  by  gratifications  of  every  kind, 
that  I  neither  had,  nor  wished  to  have,  a 
moment  of  leisure  or  seclusion,  to  note  the 
impressions  to  which  all  this  train  of  plea- 
sures naturally  gave  rise.  It  was  only  on 
the  day  preceding  our  intended  departure, 
that  I  was  enabled  to  sit  down  for  a  moment 


CHAPTER  XTl. 


STREET,  MOSQUE,  AND  BAZAAR,  IN  ISPAHAN. 


Puldished  by  Heuvy  Col  burn,  !!  New  U.iriington  Street.    Jan.  1,  IBi.O. 


ISPAHAN.  349 

to  collect  together  the  brief  recollections  of 
my  stay. 

Oct.  6th. — The  ancient  bath  of  the  cele- 
brated Shah  Abbas  the  Great  was  prepared 
for  us  by  express  order  from  Assad  UUah 
Khan  ;  and  his  young  son,  who  had  arrived 
on  the  preceding  evening,  overjoyed  to  find 
me  already  a  guest  of  his  father's,  joined  our 
party  there.  All  strangers  were  excluded; 
the  cisterns  were  filled  with  clean  water,  the 
bath  had  been  well  washed  and  highly  heated, 
and  great  pains  had  been  taken  to  render  it 
as  perfect  as  the  fashion  of  Persia  would 
admit.  The  style  of  this  bath,  which  formed 
a  part  of  the  palace  in  which  we  lived,  and 
was  included  within  its  walls,  was  similar  to 
the  one  before  described  at  Kermanshah, 
except  that  it  was  larger,  and  more  richly 
ornamented.  The  same  general  cleanliness 
in  the  outer  and  inner  divisions,  the  same 
arrangement  of  the  cold  fountains  and  hot 
cisterns,  and  the  same  process  in  the  wash- 
ing, &c.  practised  by  the  attendants,  was  seen 
here  as  at  the  place  mentioned.  The  same 
deficiencies  too  were  also  observable :  the 
servants  of  the  bath  knew  nothing  of  the  art 
of  moulding  the  limbs  and  muscles  ;  the  visi- 


350  ISPAHAN. 

tor  was  led  directly  from  the  hot  room  into 
the  cold,  with  no  other  covering  than  two 
small  coarse  blue-checked  towels,  and  his 
feet  suddenly  chilled  by  walking  on  a  cold 
jstone  pavement,  without  slippers  or  pattens 
of  any  kind  ;  no  bed  was  made  for  his  repose 
on  coming  out ;  no  person  came  to  dry  his 
body  by  gentle  pressure,  and  a  change  of 
clothes,  or  to  warm  his  feet  by  friction  on 
the  sole ;  and  though  kaleoons  were  served, 
there  was  neither  coffee  nor  sherbet  to  re- 
cruit the  exhausted  fluid.  All  this,  how- 
ever, was  after  the  best  fashion  of  the  coun- 
try, and  it  Would  have  been  rudeness  to 
complain.  With  all  its  defects,  it  was  pro- 
ductive of  welcome  refreshment  and  pleasure 
after  a  long  journey,  and  we  were  therefore 
content.  After  dressing  in  haste,  we  return- 
ed to  our  own  apartments,  where  a  sump- 
tuous breakfast  was  prepared  for  us,  of  which 
we  all  partook. 

Information  of  the  arrival  of  an  English 
traveller  having  been  conveyed  to  Hadjee 
Mohammed  Hussein  Khan,  the  Nizam-el- 
Dowla,  or  present  Governor  of  the  city,  we 
received  from  him,  at  noon,  a  deputation, 
who  waited  on  me  with  congratulations  on 


ISPAHAN.  351 

my  safe  arrival,  an  offer  of  all  the  services 
which  it  was  in  the  power  of  the  Govern- 
ment to  grant,  and  an  expression  of  regret 
that  a  messenger  had  not  preceded  me  with 
news  of  my  coming,  that  I  might  have  been 
met  beyond  the  city  by  an  escort,  and  all 
the  proper  honours  due  to  a  subject  of  so 
distinguished  a  nation  as  England.  No- 
thing could  exceed  the  respect  which  was 
shown  me,  or  the  politeness  of  the  manner 
in  which  it  was  expressed.  I  was  assured 
that  but  for  an  indisposition  of  the  Gover- 
nor, which  had  confined  him  for  several 
weeks  to  his  house,  he  would  have  waited 
on  me  himself  in  person  ;  and  I  was  de- 
sired therefore  to  consider  this  party,  which 
consisted  of  five  of  the  most  distinguished 
Khans  of  the  city,  and  a  large  retinue  of 
servants,  as  a  visit  of  the  Governor  himself. 

I  was  quite  at  a  loss  to  account  for  so  much 
distinction  being  shown  to  a  humble  indivi- 
dual like  myself,  desirous  too,  as  I  was,  of 
passing  through  the  country  unknown,  and 
having  therefore  avoided  every  step  which 
might  draw  me  into  notice.  Mr.  Armstrong, 
however,  explained  it,  by  saying  that  letters 
had  reached  both  this  place  and  Shiraz,  an- 


352  ISPAHAN. 

nouncing  the  intended  visit  of  an  English 
gentleman  to  both  these  cities,  in  the  course 
of  his  journey  to  India,  which  letters,  he 
said,  came  officially  from  the  British  mission 
at  Tabreez,  and  requested  that  every  atten- 
tion might  be  paid  to  him.  As  I  was  per- 
sonally unknown  to  any  of  the  gentlemen 
who  composed  the  embassy  at  Tabreez,  and 
as  they  had  described  the  person  in  ques- 
tion to  be  a  traveller  desirous  only  of  amass- 
ing information,  and  observing  the  manners 
of  the  countries  through  which  he  had  to 
pass,  it  appeared  probable  to  me  either  that 
this  letter  of  announcement  had  reference  to 
some  other  person,  or  that  I  was  indebted  to 
Mr.  Rich  of  Bagdad  for  this  kind  exertion  to 
render  my  journey  agreeable. 

The  remainder  of  the  day  was  passed  in 
receiving  the  visits  of  other  persons  of  infe- 
rior importance,  such  as  a  deputation  from 
the  Armenians  at  Julfa,  and  individuals 
attached  to  the  English  nation  by  former 
services  or  benefits ;  after  which  we  dined 
together  at  a  late  hour,  and  closed  a  day  of 
much  pleasure. 

Oct.  7th. — At  the  early  hour  of  sunrise, 
horses  were  saddled  for  all  our  party ;  and 


ISPAHAN.  S5S 

Assad  UUah  Khan,  with  his  son  and  some  of 
their  friends,  who  were  well  acquainted  with 
the  principal  objects  of  curiosity  about  the 
city,  were  deputed  to  be  our  companions  and 
guides  for  the  morning  excursion.  They  were 
desirous  of  taking  us  at  once  to  some  of  the 
splendid  palaces  of  the  ancient  kings ;  but 
as  all  was  submitted  to  my  direction,  I  pro- 
posed another  line  of  march. 

Ispahan  is  thought  by  Major  Rennell  to  be 
one  of  the  places  to  which  the  Jews  were 
carried  in  their  first  captivity,  when  the  ten 
tribes  were  taken  captive  to  Nineveh  ;  for 
tradition  says,  that  during  the  reign  of  Ne- 
buchadnezzar, many  Jews  settled  in  the  quar- 
ter called,  to  the  present  time,  '  Yahoudeeah.' 
Abulfeda  says  also,  that  Bochtanser,  (or  Ne- 
buchadnezzar,) when  he  destroyed  Jerusalem, 
sent  the  Jews  here,  who  built  a  town  which 
they  called  ^  Yahoudia  ;'  that  Gajjong  was 
the  most  ancient  of  the  villages  on  which 
Ispahan  was  built,  and  that  Yahoudia  was 
built  at  the  distance  of  two  miles  from  it. 
Also,  that  though  Gajjong  decreased,  Yahou- 
dia flourished  by  the  accession  of  Moham- 
medan tribes,  and  its  name  still  remained. 

As  I  was  particularly  desirous  of  making  a 

VOL.   I.  2  a 


354  ISPAHAN. 

minute  investigation  into  the  relative  state 
of  these  quarters,  their  distance  from  each 
other,  &c.  as  their  names  had  been  already 
confirmed  to  me  by  report,  it  was  proposed 
that  we  should  first  direct  our  route  to  them. 
A  world  of  '  wonders'  was  expressed  at  the 
motive  which  could  induce  a  visit  to  such 
insignificant  spots ;  and  a  thousand  assu- 
rances were  made  that  they  contained  no- 
thing to  reward  the  trouble  of  the  excur- 
sion. No  one  dared,  however,  directly  to 
object,  so  that  my  original  plan  was  pursued. 
Gajjong  is  the  name  of  the  ruined  quar- 
ter, by  which  we  approached  Ispahan,  on 
the  day  of  our  first  entering  it ;  and  this 
includes  all  the  space  now  covered  by  de- 
serted and  demolished  buildings,  between 
the  khan  of  Noushirwan  and  the  present 
gate  of  the  city  through  which  we  first  en- 
tered. It  thus  lies  on  the  north-west  of  the 
present  enclosed  town,  and  has  been  fully 
described,  on  our  passing  through  it.  The 
tradition  still  held  by  the  people  is,  that  this 
was  the  original  spot  on  which  Ispahan  was 
founded;  and  that,  even  in  the  time  of  Shah 
Abbas,  it  was  enclosed  within  the  city  walls. 
Of  this  latter  fact,  there  is  however  no  de- 


ISPAHAN.  355 

cided  proof ;  on  the  contrary,  there  is  much 
more  reason  to  believe  that  it  was  in  a 
deserted  state,  even  in  Abulfeda's  time,  and 
rather  formed  a  suburb,  than  a  quarter  of 
the  city. 

Yahoudia  is,  as  the  Arabian  geographer 
states,  distant  from  Gajjong  about  two  miles, 
and  is  seated  in  the  north-east  quarter  of  the 
town.  It  is  the  present  residence  of  such 
Jews  as  are  here,  though  a  large  portion  of 
it  is  also  inhabited  by  Mohammedans.  The 
present  residence  of  the  Governor  is  in  this 
quarter,  called  also  Jubarrah ;  and  here  is 
seen  a  portion  of  the  ancient  walls  of  the 
city,  with  high  round  towers,  sloping  upward 
from  their  base,  thickly  placed,  and  more 
completely  Saracenic  than  any  similar  work 
that  I  had  yet  observed  in  Persia.  This  quar- 
ter, which  is  now  also  in  a  very  ruined  state, 
contains  the  minarets  and  domes  of  some  fine 
old  mosques,  adorned  with  Cufic  inscriptions, 
in  coloured  tiles  ;  a  large  Maidan,  or  public 
square,  now  nearly  built  all  over  with  small 
dwellings,  and  lines  of  bazaars,  and  msMf 
other  marks  of  former  magnificence.  The 
style  of  the  architecture,  both  in  the  private 
and  public  dwellings,  is  of  an  older  date  than 

^  A  2 


S56  ISPAHAN. 

any  thing  to  be  seen  in  the  other  parts  of  Is- 
pahan ;  and  the  traditions  current  among  the 
people  are,  that  this  was  a  place  of  the  Jews' 
settlement  under  Bochetenessr,  (or  Nebuchad- 
nezzar,) and  that  it  is  by  far  the  oldest  part 
of  Ispahan  which  is  now  enclosed  within  the 
city  walls. 

All  this  was  extremely  satisfactory,  as  con- 
firming the  conjecture  of  the  able  illustrator 
of  ancient  geography  ;  but  the  living  picture 
it  presented  us  was,  in  another  point  of  view, 
full  of  the  most  melancholy  images.  Nothing 
could  exceed  the  misery  and  degradation  in 
which  the  despised  Jews  seemed  to  live  here. 
Their  habitations  were  of  the  meanest  kind ; 
and  their  labours,  which  seemed  to  be  chiefly 
in  spinning  and  weaving  silk,  were  carried  on 
in  subterranean  cells,  like  the  Serdaubs  at 
Moosul  and  Bagdad,  and  which  are  seen  in 
no  other  part  but  this,  throughout  the  whole 
of  the  city  of  Ispahan. 

In  Turkey,  many  of  the  Jews  rise  to  dis- 
tinguished confidence  in  the  service  of  the 
Government,  and  others  become  reputable 
merchants.  At  Acre  and  Damascus  there  are 
two  striking  instances  of  the  former ;  and  in 


ISPAHAN.  357 

Egypt  many  of  the  latter,  both  living  in  afflu- 
ence and  consideration,  and  distinguished  only 
from  the  most  wealthy  Moslems  by  a  graver 
dress  and  darker  turban.  Here,  however, 
and  throughout  all  Persia,  the  children  of 
Israel  are  looked  upon  as  the  most  despicable 
of  human  beings,  until  they  are  become 
really  debased  by  their  debasement,  and  now 
perhaps  merit,  by  their  want  of  every  virtue, 
that  which  was  at  first  cast  on  them  as  an 
opprobrium  on  account  of  their  religious  dis- 
tinction only. 

In  our  return  from  hence,  we  traversed 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  central  parts  of  the 
town,  coming  through  long  lines  of  bazaars, 
wide,  lofty,  well-aired  and  lighted,  and  filled 
with  excellent  shops  of  every  description. 
They  were  as  much  superior  to  those  of 
Turkey  in  their  construction,  as  the  shops 
that  composed  them  were  larger  and  better 
filled  ;  and  all  the  mechanical  arts,  whether 
in  metal,  wood,  or  other  materials,  were  more 
neatly,  ingeniously,  and  durably  executed. 

At  the  close  of  our  ride,  we  came  out  at 
the  Maidan  Shah,  one  of  the  largest  public 
squares  perhaps  in  the  East;  and  more  ex- 


358  ISPAHAN. 

tensive  than  any  which  I  remember  to  have 
seen,  whether  in  Europe  or  elsewhere.^  This 
Maidan  is  of  an  oblong  form.  On  one  side 
is  a  portion  of  the  palace  of  Tamasp  Shah, 
or,  as  some  say,  of  Shah  Abbas,  in  which  we 
now  lived,  with  a  lofty  gallery,  supported  by 
pillars,  forming  a  sort  of  upper  portico,  on 
which  the  monarchs  usually  sat  when  they 
received  any  crowded  processions  of  embas- 
sies, &c.  in  the  Maidan  below.  Opposite  to 
this  is  the  small  but  elegant  mosque  of 
Lootf  Ali  Shah.  At  the  southern  end  is  the 
splendid  mosque  of  the  Shah  Abbas ;  and  at 
the  northern  extremity  are  the  remains  of 
an  establishment,  founded  by  this  same  king, 
for  the  Europeans  settled  in  the  city,  of 
whom  he  was  a  distinguished  patron  during 
his  reign. 

On  the  walls  of  the  porch  beneath  this 
last  building,  where  a  gate  leads  into  some 
large  bazaars,  and  before  which  is  a  fountain 
of  fine  clear  water,  are  several  paintings  of 
that  king's  time.  Among  these,  the  one  on 
the  right  represents  a  European  feast,  in 
which  women,  wine,  and  music,  form  the  pro- 

*  It  is  at  least  four  times  as  large  as  either  Grosvenor  Square, 
Russell  Square,  or  Lincoln's  Inn. 


ISPAHAN.  359 

minent  objects  :  it  may  be  considered  rather 
as  a  picture  of  what  a  Persian  would  con- 
jecture an  entertainment  must  be,  where  wo- 
men and  wine  are  not  forbidden,  than  what 
such  an  entertainment  ever  really  was  among 
any  class  of  Europeans,  except  in  a  brothel. 

The  country  had  now  been  two  successive 
years  without  its  accustomed  supply  of  rain, 
so  that  the  fountains  and  canals  which  usually 
refreshed  and  adorned  this  grand  square  were 
now   mostly    empty.      The    arched  recesses 
going  all  around  it,  which  had  been  formerly 
used  as  shops,   and  filled  with   the    richest 
merchandise,  were  now  entirely  unoccupied ; 
and  the  chambers  of  the  upper  gallery,  above 
these,  which  had  once  formed  the  quarters 
of  the  monarch's  body-guard,  were  now  fall- 
ing fast  into  ruin.     The  splendid  parade  of 
horsemen,  and  the  train  of  royalty  which 
once  filled    this  noble  space,  were    now  re- 
placed by   a   few  solitary  MooUahs  coming 
and  going  to  and  from  the  mosques  near,  and 
some  poor  and  ragged  tents   of  fruit- sellers 
which  were  scattered  over  its  surface. 

It  was  amidst  these,  that  a  party  of  nearly 
three  hundred  people  had  collected  round  a 
professed  story-teller,  who,  when  we  first  saw 


i360  ISPAHAN. 

him,  was  declaiming  with  all  the  dignity  and 
warmth  of  the  most  eloquent  and  finished 
orator.  We  halted  here  without  a  murmur 
from  any  of  our  party,  as  they  seemed  to 
enjoy  this  species  of  exhibition  as  much  as 
Englishmen  would  do  the  pleasures  of  the 
drama.  It  might  itself,  indeed,  be  called  a 
dramatic  representation ;  for  although  but 
one  person  appeared  on  the  stage,  there  were 
as  great  a  variety  of  characters  personated 
by  this  one,  as  appears  in  any  of  our  best 
plays.  The  subject  of  his  tale  was  from  the 
wars  of  Nadir  Shah,  more  particularly  at  the 
period  that  his  arms  were  directed  against 
Bagdad;  and  in  it  he  breathed  forth  the 
haughty  fury  of  the  conquering  warrior; 
trembled  in  the  supplicating  tone  of  the  cap- 
tive; allured  by  the  female  voice  of  love  and 
desire  ;  and  dictated  in  the  firmer  strain  of 
remonstrance  and  reproach.  I  could  un- 
derstand this  orator  but  imperfectly,  and  was 
unwilling  at  the  moment  to  disturb  the  fixed 
attention  of  my  companions,  by  soliciting  their 
interpretation  ;  but,  as  far  as  gestures  and 
attitudes  were  explanatory  of  the  passions 
and  incidents  on  which  they  were  exercised, 
I  certainly  had  never  yet  seen  any  thing  more 


ISPAHAN.  361 

complete.  Bursts  of  laughter,  sensations  of 
fear,  and  sighs  of  pity,  rapidly  succeeded  each 
other  in  the  audience,  who  were  at  some  pe- 
riods of  the  tale  so  silent,  that  the  fall  of  a 
pin  might  have  been  heard.  Money  was 
thrown  into  the  circle  by  those  whose  ap- 
probation the  story-teller  had  strongly  won. 
This  was  gathered  up  by  one  of  the  boys 
who  served  the  caleoons,  without  charge,  to 
those  engaged  in  listening,  and  no  money 
was  at  any  time  demanded  ;  though,  as  far 
as  our  short  stay  there  would  warrant  a 
judgment,  I  should  conceive  the  gains  of  the 
performer  to  have  been  considerable. 

A  few  paces  beyond  this,  we  saw  another 
crowd  assembled  round  a  little  boy  of  ten  or 
twelve  years  of  age,  who  was  singing,  with 
the  notes  of  the  lark,  in  the  clearest  and 
most  delightful  strain!  As  we  pressed  nearer 
to  observe  this  youth,  all  were  seemingly 
moved  to  sympathize  in  his  apparent  suffer- 
ings. His  voice  was  one  of  the  clearest  and 
most  sweetly  melodious  that  the  most  fasti- 
dious ear  could  desire;  but  the  trill  of  it, which 
charmed  us  so  much  at  a  distance,  was  pro- 
duced by  quick  and  violent  thrusts  of  the  end 
of  the  forefinger  against  the  windpipe  ;  while, 


362  ISPAHAN. 

from  the  length  of  time  which  some  of  these 
notes  were  held,  the  boy's  face  was  swelled 
to  redness ;  every  vein  of  his  throat  seem- 
ed ready  to  burst ;  and  his  fine  black  eyes, 
which  were  swimming  in  lustre,  appeared  as 
if  about  to  start  from  their  blood-strained 
sockets.  Yet,  with  all  this,  no  one  could 
wish  to  interrupt  such  charming  sounds. 
The  Arabic  music  had  always  seemed  harsh 
to  me,  the  Turkish  but  little  less  so,  and  the 
Persian,  though  still  softer  and  more  win- 
ning than  either  of  these,  yet  wild  and  mo- 
notonous; but  here  there  was  a  pathos,  an 
amorous  tenderness,  and  a  strain  of  such  fine 
and  natural  passion,  in  the  plaints  of  love 
which  this  boy  poured  forth  to  an  imprison- 
ed mistress,  of  which  I  had  till  this  hour 
thought  the  music  of  the  East  incapable. 
We  all  rewarded  this  infant  singer  liberally, 
and  admonished  him  not  to  exert  himself  to 
the  injury  of  his  health  and  powers,  for  the 
ears  of  a  crowd,  to  whom  sounds  of  less  an- 
gelic sweetness  would  be  sufficiently  gratify- 
ing. 

It  was  past  noon  when  we  returned  to  the 
palace,  by  which  time  an  elegant  repast  of 
sweetmeats,  fruits,  some  light  dishes,  and  tea. 


ISPAHAN.  363 

were  served  up  for  us,  in  the  apartments  of 
Assad  UUah  Khan,  in  a  quarter  of  the  same 
palace  which  we  ourselves  occupied  ;  and  the 
rest  of  the  day  was  passed  in  all  the  variety 
of  pleasures  which  our  entertainers  could 
procure  for  us,  in  the  fashion  of  the  country. 
Oct.  8th. — The  young  Mohammed  Ali, 
who  had  been  brought  fresh  from  his  mo- 
ther's lap  in  the  harem,  to  meet  his  father 
here  at  Ispahan,  to-day  commenced  his  mi- 
litary exercises,  as  it  was  intended  to  bring 
him  up  to  fill  the  station  of  Topjee  Bashee, 
which  his  father  now  occupied.  Two  Russian 
soldiers,  who  were  here  as  captives  on  the 
parole,  were  employed  for  this  purpose,  and 
their  first  efforts  were  directed  to  teach  the 
young  recruit  to  march.  The  boy  was  dress- 
ed in  a  short  blue  jacket  with  red  cuffs  and 
collar,  made  after  the  European  mode ;  but 
he  still  retained  his  full  Persian  trowsers, 
with  English  boots  over  them,  and  his  black 
sheepskin  cap ;  a  naked  sword  was  placed 
by  his  side,  thrust  through  a  waist  shawl,  so 
that  altogether  the  lad  made  a  fierce  but  suf- 
ficiently singular  figure.  The  father  con- 
soled himself  with  a  hope,  however,  that  when 
I  should  send  him  from  Bombay  a  helmet  as 


364  ISPAHAN. 

worn  by  our  dragoons,  and  a  pair  of  gold 
epaulets,  the  military  decorations  of  his  son 
would  be  complete  ;  and  till  tlien,  said  he,  we 
must  be  content  with  an  approximation  to 
perfection.  Of  the  Russians,  who  were  em- 
ployed to  train  this  youth,  one  was  a  trum- 
peter, and  sounded  a  march  on  the  bugle 
horn  as  he  walked  before  the  young  recruit; 
the  other  marched  by  the  boy's  side,  and  di- 
rected his  infant  steps ;  and  in  this  way  they 
paraded  for  more  than  an  hour  through  the 
gardens  and  avenues  of  the  palace  we  inha- 
bited, to  the  gratification  of  numerous  spec- 
tators, who  bestowed  their  applause  at  every 
turn. 

At  the  termination  of  this  exercise,  so 
fatiguing  to  a  youth  who  had  perhaps  never 
walked  for  so  long  a  time  at  any  period  of 
his  life  before,  he  was  permitted  to  sit  in 
the  presence  of  his  father  and  several  other 
Khans,  at  a  respectful  distance,  and  we  all 
bestowed  our  praises  on  the  steadiness  of  his 
attitude  and  the  firmness  of  his  step.  So 
successful  a  completion  of  this  first  effort 
in  his  military  career  ought  not,  said  all 
present,  to  go  unrewarded;  and  reference 
was  made  to  the  father  for  the  choice  of  the 


ISPAHAN.  S65 

remuneration  to  be  bestowed,  but  this  was 
of  a  nature  not  fit  to  be  named. 

Another  excursion  was  proposed,  after  our 
morning's  entertainment ;  and  the  direction 
of  this  being  left  to  my  choice,  we  set  out 
together,  with  the  same  party.  After  going 
through  some  of  the  gardens  near  our  own 
residence,  we  directed  our  course  towards 
Julfa,  the  quarter  occupied  by  the  Armeni- 
ans, and  situated  in  the  south-west  part  of 
the  city.  In  our  way  to  this,  we  crossed  the 
bed  of  the  river  Zeinderood,  which  was  now 
entirely  dry.  The  present  want  of  water  was 
felt  throughout  the  country  as  one  of  the 
most  serious  evils  that  had  afflicted  Persia 
for  many  years  ;  and  not  only  was  the  appear- 
ance of  every  thing  changed  thereby,  but  a 
scarcity  and  dearth  of  every  species  of  pro- 
visions had  followed,  which  was  felt  by  almost 
every  class  of  the  citizens. 

The  bridge  by  which  we  crossed  this 
river,  as  well  as  several  others  thrown  over 
the  stream,  and  seen  by  us  in  passing  both 
on  our  right  and  left,  was  the  work  of  Shah 
Abbas  the  Great,  to  whom  almost  all  the 
improvements  and  embellishments  of  Ispa- 
han are  ascribed.     None  of  these  works  are 


S66  ISPAHAN. 

raised  in  the  centre,  as  bridges  usually  are ; 
they  form  merely  a  sort  of  elevated  road, 
continued  in  a  straight  line,  and  perfect 
level,  across  the  stream.  The  foundations 
and  supports  to  this  road  are,  however,  a 
series  of  pointed  arches,  with  fine  paved 
platforms  between  them ;  so  that  while  the 
stream  has  free  passage  through  the  arches, 
there  is  great  strength  secured  to  the  struc- 
ture, by  the  raised  way  that  divides  them. 

The  road  of  the  bridge  is  sufficiently 
wide  to  admit  the  passage  of  ten  horsemen 
abreast ;  it  is  well  paved,  has  a  high  wall, 
adorned  with  arched  recesses  on  each  side  ; 
and  beyond  these  is  a  covered  way  for  foot- 
passengers,  with  small  chambers  of  repose, 
and  fountains  for  the  thirsty,  placed  at  re- 
gular intervals.  The  platform  of  the  base- 
ment is  constructed  of  large  hewn  stones, 
and  the  upper  part  is  formed  of  burnt 
bricks ;  the  style  of  the  architecture  is  Sa- 
racenic throughout,  though  the  ornament  of 
coloured  tiles  is  purely  Persian.  As  a  whole, 
whether  viewed  from  a  distance,  or  in  pass- 
ing over  it,  it  seemed  to  me  equal  to  many 
of  our  best  English  bridges,  and  was  deci- 


ISPAHAN.  367 

dedly  superior  to  any  similar  structure  that 
I  had  yet  seen  in  the  East. 

Immediately  before  us,  as  we  entered  on 
the  garden  land  beyond  the  bridge,  was  a 
high  and  broken  mountain  hanging  over  the 
quarter  of  Julfa  ;  half-way  up  the  side  of 
which,  was  pointed  out  a  ruined  fire-temple 
of  the  ancient  Persians  ;  and  above  this  was 
seen  a  large  excavation  in  the  face  of  the 
rock,  apparently  intended  for  the  site  of 
some  extensive  work,  abandoned  before  its 
completion.  Still  to  the  westward  of  this, 
on  another  hill,  was  seen  a  similar  temple 
of  the  fire-worshippers  of  antiquity ;  and 
above  it,  on  the  summit  of  a  pointed  peak, 
a  larger  work,  which  was  called  a  fort,  but 
which  none  of  our  party  could  particularly 
describe. 

The  view  on  all  sides  was  beautiful,  from 
the  richness  of  the  plain,  the  profusion  of 
gardens,  and  the  domes  and  towers  of 
mosques  and  palaces,  rearing  their  heads 
from  amidst  verdant  groves  of  poplars,  syca- 
mores, and  graver  cypresses,  of  the  most 
noble  size  ;  while  the  mountain  boundaries 
of  this  enchanting  view  gave  a  grandeur  and 


368  ISPAHAN. 

magnificence  to  the  whole,  not  to  be  de- 
scribed. 

In  about  an  hour,  as  we  loitered,  turned, 
and  halted  on  our  way,  to  enjoy  the  scenery 
by  which  we  were  surrounded,  we  entered 
Julfa,  which  we  found  in  a  state  of  as  great 
desertion  and  decay  as  all  the  other  out- 
skirts of  this  declining  capital.  There  was 
nothing  peculiar  in  the  appearance  of  the 
place,  as  the  streets  were  narrow,  the  houses 
enclosed  within  dead  walls,  and  a  general 
air  of  poverty  and  dejection  prevailed,  both 
over  the  dwellings  themselves,  and  the  coun- 
tenances of  those  who  inhabited  them. 

We  alighted  at  the  house  of  the  Arme- 
nian Bishop,  who  had  been  apprised  of  our 
intended  visit  by  a  messenger  preceding  us, 
and  we  were  received  by  himself  and  his  in- 
ferior clergy  with  every  mark  of  respect.  We 
were  first  shown  into  the  principal  church. 
This  was  situated  in  a  secluded  court ;  in 
the  centre  of  which,  and  in  front  of  the 
church  itself,  was  an  open  square  edifice  of 
.  three  or  four  stories,  the  lower  ones  being 
used  as  kiosques,  and  the  upper  containing 
two  large  bells  for  summoning  the  congre- 
gation to   worship, — a   privilege  which  the 


ISPAHAN.  369 

Armenians  do  not  enjoy  in  Turkey.  The 
church,  though  small,  was  richly  adorned  with 
all  the  pageantry  of  Christian  state :  the 
walls  were  covered  with  inferior  paintings  of 
subjects  from  Scripture  ;  the  pavement  of  the 
floor  was  spread  with  carpets  ;  and  the  dome 
of  the  roof  was  ornamented  in  the  Persian 
style,  with  enamelling  of  gold  and  colours ; 
while  the  effect  of  the  whole  was  improved 
by  a  blaze  of  light,  surrounding  the  image  of 
the  Saviour,  on  the  altar  of  their  devotions. 

This  church,  we  were  assured,  was  the 
work  also  of  Shah  Abbas,  who  seems,  among 
his  other  traits  of  high  and  noble  character, 
to  have  been  the  most  tolerant  monarch  to- 
wards those  of  another  religion  that  ever  sat 
on  the  Persian  throne.  To  this  sovereign 
the  Armenians  ascribed  their  enjoyment  of 
several  important  privileges,  which  had  been 
taken  from  them  at  his  death  ;  and  since  that 
period,  with  the  general  decline  of  the  em- 
pire, and  more  particularly  of  its  capital,  they 
had  been  declining  in  wealth  and  numbers, 
till  there  were  now  not  more  than  three  hun- 
dred families  left,  and  these,  from  constant 
oppression,  were  all  of  the  poorest  class.* 

*  In  Murray's  *  Historical  Account  of  Discoveries  and  Tra- 
vels in  Asia,*  the  writer  says,  that  the  most  curious  picture  he 
VOL.  I.  2  B 


370  ISPAHAN. 

In  our  reception  at  the  Bishop's  house, 
to  which  we  retired  from  the  church,  we 
were  treated,  after  the  Turkish  manner,  with 
preserved  fruits  and  sweetmeats,  sherbet,  ca- 
leoons,  and  coffee,  arid  perfumed  with  rose- 
water  on  our  departure.  The  language  of 
the  party  was  also  Turkish,  as  none  of  them 
spoke  Arabic,  and  Persian  was  not  yet  so 
familiar  to  me  as  the  former  tongue. 

A  certain  merchant,  named  Gulistan,  who 

had  seen  of  the  character  and  policy  of  Shah  Abbas  was  given 
by  Don  Garcia  de  Sylva,  in  the  narrative  of  an  embassy  from 
Goa,  then  subject  to  Spain,  under  Philip  III.  This  account 
had  never  been  printed,  but  is  still  in  manuscript  in  the  British 
Museum.  The  author  gives  in  this  a  very  entertaining  account 
of  his  interview  with  Shah  Abbas,  and  his  ineffectual  attempt  to 
negotiate  with  that  monarch  on  the  subject  of  Onnuz,  in  the 
Persian  Gulf ;  in  which  the  Shah  affected  to  be  seized  with  re- 
ligious fervour  and  devotion ;  and  as  he  put  on  the  semblance 
of  Christianity  whenever  it  would  answer  any  purpose,  so,  on 
this  occasion,  he  persuaded  the  whole  of  the  Spanish  retinue 
that  he  was  one  of  the  most  pious  and  best  of  kings.  A  note 
appended  to  this  account  says,  it  appeared  even  that  he  was  at 
one  time  formally  baptized, — an  event  to  which  the  Jesuits 
ascribed  all  the  victories  with  which  his  arms  were  crowned 
against  the  Turks  and  Tartars. — See  *  Nouvel  Conversion  du 
Roi  de  Perse,  avec  la  DefFette  de  deux  cens  mil  Turcs  apres  sa 
conversion.'  Paris,  1606.  Also,  *  Histoire  Veritable  de  tout 
ce  qui  s'est  fait  et  passe  en  Perse,  depuis  les  ceremonies  du 
Baptesme  du  Grand  Sophy.'  Paris,  1616. — Hist.  Ace.  of  Disc, 
in  Asia,  vol.  3,  p.  29 — 45. 


ISPAHAN.  371 

acts  as  the  agent  of  the  English  here,  having 
prepared  an  entertainment  for  us  at  his 
house,  we  repaired  thither,  and  were  served 
with  a  repast  nearly  in  the  English  manner, 
except  that  we  partook  of  it  on  the  ground, 
instead  of  having  tables  or  chairs.  Bowls  of 
Shiraz  wine  were  emptied  and  replenished  in 
quick  succession,  as  the  Christians  of  Julfa 
make  as  extravagant  an  use  of  that  privi- 
lege of  their  religion,  as  in  all  other  parts  of 
the  East ;  and  not  an  hour  had  elapsed  after 
the  sofra  or  cloth  was  removed,  before  many 
of  the  party  were  in  highly  elevated  spirits. 
A  native  musician,  who  played  on  a  kind  of 
guitar,  was  called  on  to  add  to  the  pleasure 
of  our  entertainment ;  but  though  he  sang 
to  us  the  amours  of  Leila  and  Mejnoun,  and 
some  other  of  the  most  popular  songs  of  Per- 
sia, his  strains  were  harsh,  and  his  accompa- 
niment most  inharmonious. 

It  was  nearly  sunset  when  we  mounted 
our  horses  to  return  ;  and  as  the  freshness 
of  the  evening  air  was  delightful,  we  still 
loitered  to  prolong  our  ride  ;  so  that  we  were 
as  tardy  in  our  coming  home,  as  we  had  been 
in  our  going  out ;  the  remainder  of  the  even- 
ing was  passed,  in  our  apartment,  in  a  long 

^  B  2 


372  ISPAHAN. 

theological  discussion,  of  which  the  Persians 
seem  exceedingly  fond,  when  those  of  a  dif- 
ferent religion  to  their  own  happen  to  be 
present.  It  was  conducted,  however,  with  a 
good-humour  and  forbearance,  which  made 
it  appear  to  be  rather  a  mere  exercise  of  argu- 
mentative talent,  than  a  serious  effort  to  con- 
vert any  of  the  hearers  from  their  supposed 
errors  to  any  particular  form  of  belief. 


CHAPTER  Xlll. 


ROYAL  PALACE  OF  SHAH  ABBAS,  AT  ISPAHAN. 


Published  by  Henry  Colbura,  8  New  Burlington  Street.    Jan.  1,  It 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ISPAHAN VISIT     TO     THE     GOVERNOR    OF    THE 

CITY PERSIAN     ENTERTAINMENT PALACE 

GARDENS,  &C. 

Oct.  9th. — To-day  was  fixed  on  for  our 
returning  the  visit  of  the  Governor  of  Ispa- 
han, which  he  had  paid  us  by  deputation,  in 
consequence  of  his  inability  to  quit  his  re- 
sidence; and  preparations  for  that  purpose 
were  made  at  an  early  hour. 

The  attention  of  the  Topjee  Bashee  was 
taken  up,  as  on  the  preceding  day,  in  wit- 
nessing the  military  tuition  of  his  son ;  and 
as  the  father  was  quite  as  well  pleased  as  be- 
fore with  his  tractability,  the  same  reward  was 
bestowed  on  his  success,  and  the  same  inde- 
scribable scenes  took  place  to-day,  as  were 
witnessed  in  the  halls  of  departed  grandeur 


374  ISPAHAN. 

yesterday,  and  then  mentioned  as  not  fit  to 
be  particularly  named. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock  when  we  mount- 
ed at  the  gate  of  our  palace,  forming  a  party 
of  about  thirty  persons,  including  the  guards 
who  preceded,  the  Khans  who  accompanied, 
and  the  servants  who  followed  us.  Mr.  Arm- 
strong, however,  who  was  busily  employed  in 
constructing  the  model  of  a  corn-mill  for  the 
government,  and  whose  useful  labours  these 
public  attentions  shown  to  me  had  already 
interrupted,  found  means  to  excuse  himself 
from  accompanying  us ;  and,  in  considera- 
tion of  the  motives  which  urged  it,  no  one 
could  complain.  The  route  of  our  caval- 
cade lay  partly  through  the  quarter  of  Ju- 
barra,  or  Yahoudia,  in  which  we  saw  a  num- 
ber of  very  old  and  deserted  mosques,  which 
had  before  escaped  our  attention.  The  mi- 
narets of  these  were  diiFerent  from  any  others 
that  I  ever  remember  to  have  seen  :  they 
were  extremely  lofty,  constructed  of  plain 
brickwork  of  the  best  kind,  and  rose  like  co- 
lossal pillars  from  the  ground,  gradually  but 
slightly  tapering  from  the  base,  until  about 
two-thirds  their  height,  where  a  termination 
was  formed  in  a  capital  resembling  the  palm- 


VISIT    TO    THE    GOVERNOR   OF   THE   CITY.    375 

leaved  capital  of  the  Egyptian  temples. 
Above  this  was  placed  a  smaller  pillar,  of 
less  height  and  diameter,  completing  the 
other  third;  so  that  the  whole  looked  like 
a  small  column  rising  out  of  a  larger  one : 
the  first  capital  probably  forming  a  gallery 
for  the  mezzuin  or  crier ;  and  the  second,  a 
higher  one  of  the  same  kind ;  as,  from  the 
loop-holes  or  windows  in  the  walls,  there  was 
no  doubt  a  winding  passage  inside  up  to 
the  top. 

These  minarets  were  all  lofty,  mostly  sin- 
gle, and  generally  of  plain  brickwork  ;  where- 
as, in  the  other  quarters  of  Ispahan,  the 
minarets  are  all  low,  and  generally  placed  in 
pairs  on  each  side  of  entrance  gateways,  being 
also  coated  over  with  coloured  tiles ;  besides 
having  a  railed  gallery,  with  a  roofed  cover- 
ing at  the  top,  in  an  altogether  different 
manner.  The  style  of  architecture  in  the 
mosques  to  which  these  singular  minarets 
were  attached,  though  Saracenic  in  its  order, 
was  different  in  its  general  aspect  and  details 
from  those  of  the  other  quarters  of  the 
city,  and  evidently  of  a  much  more  ancient 
date,  though,  from  a  want  of  sufficient  lei- 
sure and  privacy  to  examine  the  inscriptions, 


376  ISPAHAN. 

their  precise  date  was  unknown  to  me.  AH, 
however,  concurred  in  the  tradition,  that 
this  quarter  was  by  far  the  most  ancient 
of  any  now  included  within  the  limits  of 
Ispahan  ;  and  every  appearance  indeed  sup- 
ported this  belief.* 

We  reached  the  palace  of  the  Governor 
at  the  hour  of  the  morning  divan,  and  the 
outermost  courts  were  crowded  with  the 
horses  and  servants  of  those  who  attended  it. 
After  passing  through  some  agreeable  gar- 
dens, fountained  squares,  and  dark  passages, 
we  at  length  reached  the  room  of  state. 
There  were  assembled  here  a  considerable 
number  of  persons  of  distinction,  all  of  whom 

*  Ispahan  is  mentioned  as  early  as  the  age  of  Kai  Kaoos ; 
but  of  this  there  is  no  date,  though  it  must  have  been  much 
before  the  period  assigned  to  it  by  Abulfeda,  who  speaks  of  it 
as  being  increased  by  the  settlement  of  Mohammedans  among 
the  Jews  of  Yahoudia,  near  Gajjong,  as  noted  in  Rennell's  Illus- 
trations of  the  Geography  of  Herodotus. t — Hist,  of  Persia, 
vol.  i.  p. 35. 


f  The  term  "  Turk"  is  applied,  by  the  author  of  a  Persian  work,  to 
a  Tartar  Prince,  though  it  is  in  describing  an  event  which  must  hare  taken 
place  long  before  the  tribe  called  Turks  came  into  that  part  of  Tartary;  so 
that  the  name  of  Ispahan  may  be  so  used  also. — Vol.  i.  p.  61. 

The  description  of  the  taking  of  Ispahan  by  Timour  the  Tartar,  and 
the  dreadful  massacre  there,  is  very  strikingly  given  in  the  same  work. — 
Vol.  i.  p.  460.  -      . 


VISIT    TO    THE    GOVERNOR    OF    THE    CITY.     377 

rose  at  our  entering ;  and  the  Governor  him- 
self, who  placed  me  immediately  beside  him 
on  his  left  hand,  pointed  to  a  stick  with 
which  he  was  obliged  to  support  himself 
while  walking,  as  an  apology  for  his  not 
showing  me  that  mark  of  respect  which  he 
acknowledged  as  my  due.  There  was  in  all 
this,  an  excess  of  honourable  distinction 
which  I  could  not  understand,  and  which  I 
still  believed  must  have  been  destined  for 
another,  though  all  my  enquiries  led  to  no 
satisfactory  explanation  on  that  point. 

The  room  in  which  we  sat,  opened  on  a 
square  court,  in  which  were  garden-beds, 
flowers,  rows  of  trees,  and  overflowing  foun- 
tains filled  with  trout.  From  this  apartment 
led  a  suite  of  others  behind  it,  all  decorated 
in  the  richest  way,  with  mirrors,  paintings, 
and  gold  and  enamelled  works,  in  the  Per- 
sian style,  and  of  the  age  of  the  splendid 
Shah  Abbas.  The  furniture  of  these  rooms, 
as  of  all  others  I  had  yet  seen  in  Persia, 
consisted  simply  in  carpets.  These  were  in- 
deed of  the  finest  and  softest  kind,  as  well 
as  exceedingly  beautiful ;  but  there  were 
neither  sofas  nor  cushions  of  any  kind,  as 
used  in  Turkey  and  Arabia.     The  Persians 


378  ISPAHAN. 

of  all  classes  and  distinctions  kneel,  and  sit 
back  on  their  heels,  preserving  their  bodies 
in  an  upright  posture,  and  holding  their 
hands  across  their  girdles,  or  on  their  dag- 
gers, so  that  cushions  are  not  necessary. 
This,  however,  is  an  attitude  used  by  Turks 
and  Arabs  only  before  their  superiors,  and 
never  resorted  to  by  people  of  the  higher 
classes,  or  those  who  feel  at  ease  in  society. 
The  cross-legged  mode  of  sitting,  common 
to  the  Turks,  is  more  easy  of  imitation  by  a 
stranger,  and  admits  a  greater  change  of  po- 
sition, so  that  lounging  may  be  easily  in- 
dulged in,  and  cushions  are  then  agreeable  ; 
but  among  the  Persians  I  had  never  ob- 
served this  practised,  either  in  the  circles  of 
the  high  or  low  ;  and  it  was  so  far  fortu- 
nate, therefore,  that  my  Arab  dress  admitted 
of  my  retaining  Arab  manners,  since  it  would 
have  been  impossible  for  me  to  have  sat  in 
the  Persian  fashion  longer  than  half  an  hour, 
without  being  incapacitated  from  rising  again, 
from  so  cramped  a  position. 

The  dresses  of  most  of  the  people  of  dis- 
tinction in  attendance,  were  those  commonly 
worn  by  Persians  of  every  description,  and 
offered  no  other  variety  than  the  quality  of 


VISIT    TO    THE    GOVERNOR    OF    THE    CITY.    379 

their  materials.  The  sleeves  and  bodies  of 
their  garments  are  even  tighter  than  those  of 
Europeans ;  while  the  lower  part,  from  the 
waist  downward,  is  like  an  ample  petticoat, 
open  at  the  sides,  and  both  undignified  and 
ungraceful.  Cashmeer  shawls  are  wound 
round  the  waist,  in  which  a  plain  and  ge- 
nerally straight  dagger  is  placed,  and  the 
black  sheepskin  cap  is  worn  by  all.  An 
outer  coat,  with  sleeves,  and  embroidered 
work  around  the  edges,  is  used  by  the  Khans 
and  people  in  office,  and  this  is  mostly  of 
bright  scarlet  broad-cloth,  that  being  the 
established  colour  of  the  court-dress. 

In  our  conversation  with  the  Governor, 
his  enquiries  were  first  directed  to  European 
affairs,  and  afterwards  to  the  state  of  the 
countries  through  which  I  had  passed;  and 
his  observations  seemed  to  me  more  intelli- 
gent than  one  generally  hears  from  Turks 
in  similar  situations,  though  his  knowledge  of 
geography  and  statistics  was  equally  deficient. 

After  an  hour  had  passed,  during  which 
caleoons  were  three  or  four  times  presented, 
and  passed  from  one  to  another  in  the  order 
in  w^hich  we  sat,  refreshments  were  brought 
in.     These  were  contained  in  a  number  of 


380  ISPAHAN. 

large  oblong  trays,  which  were  placed  before 
the  company  ;  so  that,  as  they  sat  in  three 
sides  of  a  square,  close  to  the  walls  of  the 
room,  the  trays,  when  placed  end  to  end, 
formed  one  continued  table  before  the  guests, 
and  were  conveniently  accessible  by  every 
one.  Their  contents  were  chiefly  fruits,  in 
great  variety  and  abundance,  particularly 
pears  and  melons,  which  are  nowhere  in  the 
world  thought  to  be  produced  in  higher  per- 
fection than  at  Ispahan  ;  bread  of  the  whitest 
colour  and  best  flavour ;  cheese  equal  to 
English  in  taste,  though  different  in  appear- 
ance ;  salads  of  lettuce  and  other  herbs ; 
milk,  cream,  rice,  sweetmeats,  sherbet  of 
pomegranate  juice  cooled  by  masses  of  ice ; 
and  other  similar  delicacies,  completed  a  feast 
of  the  most  agreeable  kind.  Water  was 
served  to  the  guests  for  washing,  both  be- 
fore and  after  the  meal ;  but  coffee  is  not 
usually  drunk  by  the  Persians,  either  in  pub- 
lic or  in  private. 

Before  we  retired,  an  offer  of  every  thing 
that  the  power  of  the  Governor,  or  his  city 
of  Ispahan,  could  furnish  us  with,  was  pub- 
licly made,  and  a  hope  expressed  that  my 
stay  would  be  in  every  respect  agreeable  both 


VISIT    TO    THE    GOVERNOR    OF    THE    CITY.     381 

to  my  health  and  wishes.  A  guard  of  honour 
was  appointed  also  to  escort  us  back  to  our 
own  residence  at  the  palace ;  and  I  felt  al- 
most oppressed  by  the  overwhelming  honours 
thus  shown  to  me. 

We  passed  the  evening  in  a  walk  through 
the  gardens  of  our  dwelling,  and  closed  it  by 
a  supper  with  the  Topjee  Bashee  and  a  party 
of  his  public  friends. 

Oct.  10th. — Horses  and  attendants  were 
prepared  to-day  for  an  excursion  round  the 
royal  palaces  and  grounds,  and  notice  had 
been  sent  to  the  keepers  in  attendance  to 
be  ready  for  our  reception.  Assad  Ullah 
Khan  was  again  appointed  to  be  our  guide, 
though  several  other  Khans,  with  their  ser- 
vants, accompanied  us. 

Soon  after  leaving  our  own  abode,  we 
found  ourselves  at  the  Palace  of  the  Chehel 
Sitoon,  or  Forty  Pillars.  The  gardens  around 
this  mansion,  and  leading  towards  it,  are  all 
beautiful ;  the  sycamores,  which  line  the  ave- 
nues, are  large  and  ancient ;  the  cypresses 
and  firs,  interspersed  throughout  the  grounds, 
have  an  equally  fine  though  different  aspect ; 
and  the  slender  poplars,  bending  to  the 
breeze,  give  a  lightness  and  airiness  to  the 


382  ISPAHAN. 

thickest  woods.  The  fountains,  canals,  and 
walks,  are  laid  out  with  all  the  taste  and 
regularity  of  the  best  grounds  of  Europe  ; 
and,  in  short,  every  thing  seems  to  have  been, 
in  its  original  design,  as  perfect  as  one  could 
have  desired  it.  The  palace  itself,  though 
inferior  to  the  gardens  amid  which  it  stands, 
is  still  a  monument  of  the  luxury  and  splen- 
dour of  the  age  in  which  it  was  erected.  In 
front  is  an  open  portico,  in  which  three  or 
four  rows  of  pillars,  about  six  in  each,  sup- 
port a  flat  roof,  or  canopy  ;  the  four  central 
pillars,  which  are  placed  at  the  angles  of  a 
square  fountain,  have  a  device  of  four  lions, 
each  carved  in  a  hard  stone,  for  the  pedes- 
tals ;  the  pillars  are  all  lofty,  perhaps  fifty 
feet  in  height,  but  disproportionately  slen- 
der ;  the  shaft  is  one  solid  trunk  of  syca- 
more wood,  shaped  octagonally  round  the 
sides,  and  lessening  from  the  base  upwards, 
till  it  seems  to  be  scarcely  a  foot  thick  at 
the  placing  on  of  the  capital.  The  capital 
rises  in  a  square,  increasing  its  dimensions 
from  below  like  an  inverted  pyramid,  and  is 
filled  on  every  side  by  the  concave  niches  so 
peculiar  to  the  Saracenic  architecture.  As 
these  pillars  have  to  support  a  roof  of  enor- 


VISIT    TO    THE    GOVERNOR   OF    THE    CITY. 

mous  weight,  their  strength  is  altogether  in- 
sufficient ;  and  not  only  do  their  dispropor- 
tionate height  and  slender  proportions  of- 
fend the  eye ;  but  the  bending  of  the  parts 
of  the  roof  between  them,  threatens  a 
speedy  fall.  The  shafts  and  capitals  of  these 
pillars  are  entirely  covered  with  silvered 
glass  as  mirrors,  —  sometimes  wound  round 
in  spiral  flutings;  at  others,  laid  in  perpen- 
dicular plates ;  and  in  others  again,  enamelled 
over  by  flowers  and  other  devices,  after  the 
manner  of  embossed  work  on  polished  steel. 
The  ceiling  of  the  roof  of  the  portico  is  di- 
vided into  square  compartments,  moulded 
and  richly  covered  with  azure  blue  and  gold, 
in  admirable  devices.  The  back  part  of  this 
portico  is  one  entire  sheet  of  gold  and  mir- 
rors, splendid  as  a  whole,  and  containing 
many  beauties  in  its  minute  details.  Every 
possible  variety  of  form  is  given  to  the  de- 
vices, in  which  the  plates  and  smaller  pieces 
of  glass  are  disposed,  and  their  partitions  are 
frames  of  gold.  Paintings  of  beautiful  fe- 
males, some  sculptured  works  on  marble,  in- 
scriptions of  highly  finished  writing,  both  of 
ink  on  paper,  and  of  gold  on  blue  enamel, 
with  a  hundred  other  details,  impossible  to 


384  ISPAHAN. 

be  remembered  amid  the  overwhelming  mag- 
nificence of  so  much  labour  and  wealth,  dis- 
tract the  attention  of  the  observer. 

The  hall  into  which  this  leads,  and  for 
which  this  noble  portico  is  an  admirable  pre- 
paration, is,  if  possible,  still  more  magnifi- 
cent, though  its  decorations  are  of  a  different 
character.  The  vast  size  of  the  room  itself, 
the  dimensions  of  which  I  should  hesitate 
from  mere  memory  to  state,  is  alone  sufficient 
to  give  it  a  noble  air.  The  domed  roof  is 
indescribably  beautiful,  and  the  large  com- 
partments of  historic  paintings  that  deco- 
rate its  walls,  defective  as  their  execution 
would  appear  to  an  European  eye,  are  yet 
full  of  interest,  from  the  portraits  they  con- 
tain, and  the  events  to  which  they  relate. 
Shah  Abbas  the  Great,  the  distinguished 
founder  of  these  kingly  works,  the  restorer 
of  his  country,  and  the  father  of  his  people, 
is  himself  represented  as  receiving  the  au- 
dience of  an  Indian  monarch,  and  the  por- 
traits of  the  most  distinguished  characters  of 
his  reign  are  pointed  out  by  the  attendants. 
As  a  banqueting  room,  scenes  of  war  and 
state  do  not  alone  decorate  its  walls  ;  but 
the  enjoyments  of  the  social  board — women? 


VISIT    TO    THE    GOVERNOR    OF    THE    CITY.    385 

wine,  and  music — ^have  their  full  share  in  the 
pictured  stories  of  the  day. 

We  went  from  hence  to  the  Royal  Harem, 
called,  from  their  number,  the  Haft  Dest,  or 
Eight  Divisions.  The  view  from  hence  was 
on  all  sides  charming;  but  on  that  where 
the  building  hung  over  the  stream  of  the 
Zeinderood,  and  commanded  a  view  of  gar- 
dens, bridges,  palaces,  and  mosques,  bounded 
only  by  the  distant  mountains,  the  prospect 
bordered  on  enchantment.  It  would  be  as 
vain  as  it  would  be  endless,  to  enter  into 
a  detail  of  all  that  we  saw  here  :  gardens, 
fountains,  secluded  walks,  and  ranges  of 
apartments,  decorated  in  the  richest,  most 
varied,  and  pleasing  manner,  were  the  pro- 
minent features  of  this  establishment.  There 
were  no  large  halls  of  state,  as  in  the  Royal 
Palaces ;  but  the  rooms  were  suited  to  the 
comfort  of  smaller  parties  than  those  which 
swelled  the  pomp  of  the  monarch  in  his  more 
public  banquets  with  men.  The  style  of 
decoration  in  the  rooms  was  less  gorgeous  ; 
but  the  delicacy  and  harmony  of  colours  in 
the  painted  devices,  and  the  lighter  gilding 
of  the  domes,  though  more  effeminate  in 
character,  was  scarcely  less  beautiful.     Every 

VOL.   I.  2  c 


386  ISPAHAN. 

one  of  these  apartments  had  good  fireplaces, 
on  which  the  stain  of  the  smoke  still  re- 
mained; many  of  them  had  hollow  work  on 
their  walls,  executed  in  the  most  tasteful  de- 
signs, and  intended,  as  we  were  told,  to  give 
an  echo  to  the  voice  of  the  singers,  and  the 
sounds  of  music,  and  improve  as  well  as  pro- 
long the  tones  of  love  and  pleasure  which 
once  reverberated  here.  Verses,  names,  and 
sentences,  were  written  on  these  walls  in  the 
Armenian  character,  and  were  most  probably 
the  work  of  such  Georgian  or  Armenian 
females  as  had  been  immured  here  among 
the  slaves  of  the  royal  bed :  these,  with 
many  other  traces  of  recent  habitation,  awa- 
kened feelings  of  a  mixed  though  painful 
nature.  ^ 

We  were  delighted  with  all  that  we  had 
seen  here,  and  went  from  hence  to  another 
palace,  similar   in   design  and   interior  de- 

*  On  the  capture  of  Ispahan  by  the  AfFghans,  Mahmood, 
their  chief,  resided  in  the  palace  of  Ferrahabad,  where  fifty  of 
the  best-born  and  most  beautiful  virgins  of  Julfa  were  sent  to 
him  in  their  richest  clothes. — Hist,  of  Persia,  v.  i.  p.  630.  It 
is  not  improbable  that  the  Armenian  writing  seen  by  me  on 
the  walls  of  this  palace  was  from  some  of  these  imprisoned 
females. 


VISIT    TO    THE    GOVERNOR    OF    THE    CITY.    387 

coration  to  the  Chehel  Sitoon,  and,  like  it, 
seated  among  the  most  beautiful  grounds. 
The  Hasht  Behest,  or  Eight  Paradises, — a 
name  most  appropriately  given  to  that  num- 
ber of  gardens,  in  which  all  that  Mohammed, 
or  the  Christian  author  of  the  Apocalypse, 
had  painted  of  a  sensual  heaven,  seems  to 
have  been  anticipated, — detained  us  for  some 
time  amid  its  walks  and  bowers.  The  Char- 
Bagh,  or  Four  Gardens,  a  work  of  the  pre- 
sent Governor,  Hadjee  Mohammed  Hussan 
Khan,  the  entrance  to  which  is  imposing  from 
the  long  avenues  of  trees  which  it  presents 
to  the  view,  also  shared  our  admiration.  We 
had  seen,  however,  so  much  to  charm  and 
delight  us,  and  quitted  one  spot  with  so 
much  regret,  though  to  visit  another  perhaps 
still  more  beautiful,  that  we  were  literally 
fatigued  with  pleasure,  and  tired  of  con- 
stantly beholding  so  much  splendour  and 
magnificence  in  art,  mixed  with  every  thing 
that  is  agreeable  in  nature. 

Our  excursion  closed  by  a  visit  to  one  of 
the  Khan's  friends,  with  whom  we  supped 
and  passed  the  evening,  having  taken  the 
refreshments   of  the   day   at    almost    every 

2  c  2 


S88  ISPAHAN. 

palace  and  garden  at  which  we  had  halted. 
When  we  returned  home  at  night,  my  sleep 
was  really  interrupted  by  the  confused  re- 
collections of  all  the  overpowering  magnifi- 
cence which  had  pressed  upon  me,  at  every 
step  that  we  had  taken  during  the  day. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


GREAT  SQUARE  AND  FRONT  OF  THE  ROYAL  MOSQUE,  AT  ISPAHAN. 


ru!ilishe«l  by  Henry  Colburn,  K  New  liurlington  Street.     Jan.  1,  lUiW 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

ISPAHAN VISIT    TO   THE    PRINCIPAL    MOSQUES 

AND    COLLEGES    OF    THE    CITY. 

Oct.  11th. — It  had  been  my  practice  in  all 
large  Mohammedan  cities,  where  it  was  at  all 
likely  that  I  should  become  known  as  a 
Frank  from  my  residing  or  mixing  with 
Christians  there,  to  visit  the  mosques  as  early 
after  my  arrival  as  possible,  while  I  was  yet 
a  stranger ;  but  here  I  was  prevented  from 
so  doing,  as  I  had  scarcely  set  my  foot  in 
the  city,  before  I  had  become  in  some  respects 
a  public  character.  As  I  could  not,  on  this 
account,  now  go  safely  as  a  Mohammedan 
into  these  hallowed  sanctuaries,  I  ventured 
to  express  to  the  Khan,  who  had  been  my 
guide  to  all  the  other  places,  my  desire  of 
visiting   them   as   a   mere   observer.      Some 


390  ISPAHAN. 

scruples  were  raised,  not  on  his  own  account, 
but  on  those  of  the  MooUahs,  who  are  con- 
sidered a  highly  bigoted  race,  and  more  par- 
ticularly as  to-day  was  the  sabbath  on  which 
the  mosques  were  crowded  both  by  them  and 
the  most  devout  of  the  laity.  It  was  at 
length  determined  on,  that  we  should  go  as 
privately  as  possible ;  and  changing  my  dress 
for  one  of  extreme  poverty,  with  a  pointed 
Dervish  cap  on  my  head,  a  staff,  and  a  long 
chaplet  of  green  beads,  which  I  had  brought 
with  me  from  Jerusalem,  made  at  the  mosque 
of  Omar,  on  the  site  of  Solomon's  Temple 
there,  I  set  out  with  Ismael  on  this  holy 
excursion. 

We  went  first  to  the  small  mosque  of  Lootf 
Ali  Khan,  which  is  in  the  centre  of  the  east 
side  of  the  Maidan  Shah.  This  is  simply  a 
square  building,  over  which  is  raised  a  flat- 
tened dome,  without  pillars,  arched  vaults, 
or  aisles.  The  workmanship  is  throughout 
of  the  best  kind,  both  in  the  masonry  and 
embellishments.  Large  blocks  of  Tabreez 
marble,  highly  polished,  are  used  at  the  en- 
trance, and  along  the  surbasement  of  the  in- 
terior. The  gilding,  enamel,  and  painting  of 
the  walls,  and  the  ceiling  of  the  dome  within. 


VISIT   TO   THE    MOSQUES   AND   COLLEGES.    391 

is  equal  to  any  of  the  halls  of  the  palaces 
that  we  had  seen ;  and,  small  as  it  is,  there 
is  a  great  neatness  and  beauty  in  the  whole. 
The  exterior  front,  the  portals,  and  arch  of 
the  door,  and  the  outer  surface  of  the  dome, 
are  all  coated  with  painted  and  enamelled 
tiles,  in  which  azure  blue  is  the  prevailing 
colour ;  and  the  inscriptions,  with  which  the 
building  is  crowded  within  and  without,  are 
chiefly  in  Cufic  and  in  Arabic. 

From  the  mosque  of  Lootf  Ali  Shah,  as 
this  personage  is  sometimes  called,  from  his 
having  assumed  the  title  of  sovereignty  during 
his  lifetime,  we  went  to  the  great  mosque,  at 
the  southern  end  of  the  Maidan,  which  is  dig- 
nified with  the  peculiar  name  of  the  Mesjid 
Shah,  or  Royal  Mosque.  The  lofty  gate 
which  forms  the  outer  entrance  to  this,  and 
faces  the  centre  of  the  public  square,  has  on 
each  side  of  it  a  minaret,  with  open  galleries 
at  the  top  ;  but  though  in  any  other  situation 
these  would  be  considered  large,  they  look 
diminutive  here,  from  the  noble  size  and 
elevation  of  the  gateway,  which  they  guard. 
This  gateway  leads  to  an  inner  court,  in 
which  are  fountains  for  ablutions,  and  large 
circular  vases  of  close-grained  stone,  filked 


392  ISPAHAN. 

with  water,  for  drinking.  These  last  ring 
like  metal  at  the  stroke  of  the  nail,  and  are 
finely  sculptured  over  with  devices  and  in- 
scriptions in  bold  relief.  The  outer  pair  of 
folding  doors,  which  are  scarcely  less  than 
sixty  or  seventy  feet  in  height,  and  of  a  pro- 
portionate breadth,  are  cased  with  silver,  and 
covered  also  with  inscriptions,  holy  sentences, 
and  characteristic  ornaments  in  relief;  and 
at  the  cistern,  which  meets  the  passenger  on 
entering  it,  are  silver  cups  fastened  by  silver 
chains  to  the  marble,  all  of  the  most  finished 
workmanship. 

Around  the  court  of  the  mosque  are  close 
vaults,  for  the  devotions  of  the  infirm  or  deli- 
cate, during  the  winter,  as  the  temple  itself 
is  almost  an  open  building.  The  ground  plan 
of  the  whole,  as  seen  from  an  elevated  station 
without,  is  far  from  being  regular;  yet  the 
want  of  uniformity  is  not  apparent  to  the 
eye,  either  on  entering  or  being  within  the 
building ;  and  this  has  been  as  ably  effected 
by  the  architect  here,  as  at  the  Egyptian 
temple  of  Philoe  on  the  Cataracts  of  the 
Nile,  at  the  principal  entrance  to  Geraza  in 
the  Decapolis,  and  at  Palmyra,  where  one  of 
the  finest  gateways  has  been  so  constructed 


VISIT    TO    THE    MOSQUES    AND    COLLEGES.     393 

as  to  harmonize  diverging  lines ;  and  in  the 
whole  of  these,  irregularity  has  been  made  to 
appear  regular,  by  the  skiU  of  the  builder. 

Nothing  can  surpass  the  rich  yet  solemn 
state  of  the  interior  of  this  royal  mosque- 
Pavements  and  surbasements,  of  the  fine 
diaphonous  marble  of  Tabreez,  cabled  mould- 
ings of  arches,  finely  carved  pilasters,  and 
other  portions  of  the  same  material,  give  an 
appearance  of  simple  and  solid  beauty  to  the 
foundations  of  the  edifice ;  while  the  lofty 
domes  and  spacious  aisles  have  a  grandeur 
not  to  be  surpassed  ;  and  the  rich  decorations 
of  the  walls  and  roofs  of  every  part^  present 
one  blaze  of  laboured  magnificence,  which 
would  be  too  splendid,  but  for  the  archi- 
tectural majesty  of  the  edifice  it  adorns. 

Around  the  mosque,  on  three  of  its  sides, 
and  communicating  with  it  by  separate  pas- 
sages, are  colleges  for  the  studies  of  the 
learned,  and  the  education  of  youth.  In 
these  are  courts,  with  fountains,  shaded  by 
the  finest  trees,  as  well  as  flower-gardens, 
fruits,  and  all  that  could  render  retirement 
at  once  cheerful,  yet  undisturbed,  and  favour- 
able to  literary  pursuits.  We  remained  in 
this  mosque  for   a  considerable  time,  pray- 


394  ISPAHAN. 

ing  and  counting  our  beads.  As  we  ran 
through  the  ninety  and  nine  appellations  of 
the  deity,  some  of.  the  MooUahs  expounded, 
in  Persian,  certain  Arabic  verses  of  the  Ko- 
ran. They  spoke  from  an  elevated  oratory, 
ascended  to  by  flights  of  marble  steps,  each 
entire  flight  of  one  solid  block ;  and  with  se- 
veral of  these  we  exchanged  the  salute  of 
peace,  while  Ismael  strove  to  draw  them  into 
a  conversation  on  some  of  the  higher  points 
of  doctrine ;  but  as  they  saw  that  our  prac- 
tices were  those  of  the  Soonnee  sect,  whom 
they  very  cordially  hate,  they  all  proudly 
shunned  us,  which  left  us  as  undisturbed 
as  we  could  have  wished. 

The  mosque  was  crowded  at  noon  with 
worshippers,  perhaps  to  the  number  of  two 
thousand;  some  of  whom  offered  up  their 
prayers  alone  and  almost  in  silence,  while 
others  ranged  themselves  behind  Imams,  or 
leaders,  and  gave  their  devotions  all  the  pub- 
lic solemnity  of  union.  The  beautiful  para- 
ble of  the  Publican  could  not  receive  a  more 
striking  illustration  than  from  the  scene 
before  us  ;  and  the  gorgeous  splendour  of  the 
dome,  beneath  which  it  was  witnessed,  added 
powerfully  to  its  effect. 


VISIT   TO   THE    MOSQUES   AND   COLLEGES.    395 

Some  of  the  mosques  at  Cairo  are  exceed- 
ingly fine,  and  preserve  perhaps  some  of  the 
best  specimens  of  the  Saracenic  architecture 
that  exist.  The  mosque  of  Omar,  w^hich 
stands  on  the  site  of  the  old  Jewish  temple 
of  Solomon  at  Jerusalem,  has  a  noble  aspect 
from  without.  That  at  Damascus,  which  was 
formerly  a  Christian  cathedral,  is  beautiful, 
from  its  long  avenues  of  Corinthian  columns 
of  marble.  The  court  of  the  great  mosque 
at  Aleppo  is  perhaps  nowhere  surpassed ; 
and  some  of  these  at  Diarbekr  and  Bag- 
dad have  parts  worthy  of  admiration.  But, 
taken  altogether,  I  have  never  yet  seen,  nor 
ever  expect  again  to  see,  any  Mohamme- 
dan temple  so  truly  magnificent  in  all  its 
parts,  as  this  Royal  Mosque  of  Ispahan. 
When  quitting  it,  indeed,  with  this  impres- 
sion, and  without  the  prospect  of  my  ever 
entering  it  again,  there  was  a  feeling  of  me- 
lancholy present  to  my  mind,  which  it  re- 
quired all  the  aid  of  new  scenes  and  new 
ideas  to  dissipate. 

The  other  mosques,  which  we  visited  in 
the  course  of  the  day,  were  too  inferior  to 
this,  to  merit  a  description  immediately  after 
it.      Some   derived  their  chief  beauty  from 


396  ISPAHAN. 

their  size;  others  were  small,  but  exceedingly 
neat ;  and  on  all,  a  degree  of  labour  and  ex- 
pense had  been  bestowed,  which  proved  both 
the  former  wealth  of  the  place,  and  the  at- 
tachment of  the  people  of  Persia  to  splendid 
temples  of  worship. 

We  returned  in  time,  after  a  long  and  fa- 
tiguing round,  to  say  our  evening  prayers  in 
the  Mesjid  Shah.  The  crowd  was  not  now 
so  numerous  as  at  noon  ;  and  the  proud  Mool- 
lahs,  with  their  aspiring  pupils,  bearded  el- 
ders, and  a  few  Fakeers,  made  up  the  assem- 
bly. The  grave  and  hollow  tones  which  re- 
verberated through  the  lengthened  aisles,  and 
were  re-echoed  by  the  lofty  domes, — the  dim 
twilight,  as  the  shades  of  darkness  fast  ap- 
proached,— and  the  silent  passing  by  of  bare- 
footed devotees,  who  were  but  faintly  seen, 
and  not  heard,  though  their  loose  robes 
brushed  us  as  they  glided  along, — were  all 
striking  features  of  a  scene  that  inspired 
mixed  sensations  of  awe  and  admiration,  and 
almost  fixed  one  to  the  spot,  in  that  medi- 
tative mood,  which  the  mourning  children 
of  affliction  mistake  for  philosophy,  but  which 
the  lover  of  more  cheerful  joys  would  shun 
as  the  bane  of  happiness. 


VISIT    TO   THE    MOSQUES   AND    COLLEGES.    397 

Oct.  12th. — We  had  not  yet  seen  the  fine 
colleges  of  the  learned,  which  were  among 
the  most  splendid  establishments  of  Shah 
Abbas  the  Great,  nor  visited  any  of  the 
learned  men  of  the  day;  and  as  we  were  still 
detained  at  Ispahan  for  an  opportunity  to 
depart  with  a  caravan,  this  duty  was  fixed  on 
for  our  morning  excursion. 

We  first  went  to  one  of  the  smallest  of 
these  Medresses,  as  they  are  called,  and  now 
almost  the  only  one  in  Ispahan  in  which 
there  are  any  students,  except  those  of  the 
regular  priesthood.  It  was  an  exceedingly 
neat  establishment,  consisting  of  ranges  of 
chambers  around  the  interior  of  an  open 
square  court,  like  the  arrangement  of  a  cara- 
vansera,  but  of  a  better  kind.  The  court 
itself  was  laid  out  in  fountains  and  canals, 
bordered  by  avenues  of  trees,  and  divided 
by  beds  of  flowers.  In  this  court,  stood  the 
tomb  of  Tekeea  Mir  Abul-Cassim  Fende- 
reski,  an  Arab  of  great  learning  and  cele- 
brity, and  the  translator  of  Plato,  Aristotle, 
and  other  Greek  philosophers,  into  his  own 
tongue.  The  tomb  itself  was  of  plain  mar- 
ble, simply  inscribed  in  Arabic  characters  on 
a  small  tablet  at  the  head ;  a  spreading  tree 


398  ISPAHAN. 

overshadowed  it  by  its  branches  ;  and  lean- 
ing against  its  trunk,  which  overhung  the 
tomb,  was  a  small  framed  and  glazed  tablet, 
on  which  was  beautifully  written,  on  paper, 
an  Arabic  ode,  in  praise  of  the  deceased,  in  a 
style  of  great  eloquence ;  but  the  author  of 
which  had  also  followed  the  fate  of  the 
learned  subject  of  his  eulogy. 

We  reposed  beside  this  tomb  for  half  an 
hour,  and  listened  to  the  moralizing  strains 
of  the  Dervish  Ismael,  who  urged  every  thing 
he  either  heard,  or  felt,  or  saw,  or  even 
imagined,  in  support  of  his  favourite  maxim, 
that  Pleasure  was  the  only  Good;  and  that 
we  should  therefore  eat  and  drink,  since  to- 
morrow we  die ;  and  if  he  was  eloquent  on 
ordinary  occasions,  he  was  additionally  so  on 
the  one  that  now  presented  him  with  so  fine 
an  illustration  of  that  which  he  called  the 
folly  of  human  wisdom.  A  young  student 
of  about  eighteen,  who  saluted  us  as  he 
passed,  and  who,  from  our  manner  of  return- 
ing it,  joined  us  where  we  sat,  aided  the  sen- 
tentious declamations  of  the  Dervish  by  some 
fine  quotations  from  the  very  writer  whose 
ashes  we  had  come  to  venerate ;  and  we 
found,  from  a  prolonged  conversation  with 


VISIT    TO   THE    MOSQUES   AND    COLLEGES.    399 

this  lad,  that,  young  as  he  was,  he  was  deeply 
versed  in  the  doctrines  of  Soofeeism,  and  was 
fast  verging  into  that  scepticism,  which  is 
almost  the  constant  result,  in  these  countries, 
of  premature  and  self-directed  studies  of  a 
metaphysical  cast. 

From  hence  we  went  to  the  more  splendid 
Medresse  of  Ahmed  Shah :  a  noble  work  in 
its  original  state,  but  now  almost  abandoned, 
as  there  were  only  some  inferior  MooUahs 
who  occupy  a  few  of  the  numerous  chambers 
around  its  stately  courts.  The  outer  gate- 
way of  this  spacious  edifice,  which  fronts  a 
long  range  of  gardens,  is  closed  by  large 
folding-doors,  which,  like  those  of  the  royal 
mosque,  are  coated  over  with  sheets  of  sil- 
ver, on  which,  devices  and  inscriptions  are 
executed  in  relief.  The  interior  court  is  laid 
out  in  fountains,  canals,  and  gardens,  in 
which  large  spreading  trees  yield  an  agree- 
able shade,  and  beds  of  flowers  give  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  constant  spring.  The  ranges 
of  chambers  below,  as  well  as  those  in  the 
galleries  above,  are  conveniently  adapted  for 
the  retirement  of  study,  and  have  each  of 
them  the  proper  offices  attached  behind,  for 
the  comfort  of  those  who  may  inhabit  them. 


400  ISPAHAN. 

As  Assad  UUah  Khan  was  still  our  guide, 
and  we  rode  with  a  large  retinue  of  servants, 
our  appearance  commanded  respect ;  and  in- 
deed we  every  where  met  with  it.  Even  here 
we  were  invited  into  the  neat  apartment  of  a 
MooUah,  and  served  with  sweetmeats  and 
caleoons  by  his  own  hands.  This  man,  as 
we  were  assured  after  our  visit,  was  one  of 
the  most  learned  in  Ispahan  ;  though  in  a 
conversation  which  was  introduced  on  the 
subject  of  the  demonstrative  sciences  of 
astronomy  and  mathematics,  as  well  as  the 
less  certain  ones  of  chemistry  and  medicine, 
he  hardly  seemed  to  be  aware  that  these 
branches  of  learning  were  better  understood 
in  Europe  than  in  Persia.  His  geographical 
knowledge  did  not  even  extend  to  the  re- 
lative positions  of  the  countries  forming  the 
boundaries  of  his  own.  In  astronomy,  the 
motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies  were  not  at 
all  familiar  to  him,  though  he  knew  the  effect 
popularly  ascribed  to  the  conjunctions  of  the 
stars  and  planets.  Chemistry  and  medicine 
were  in  no  way  connected  with  his  studies  ; 
and  his  notions  of  both,  were  those  of  a 
man  who  had  neither  heard  nor  thought 
on  the  subject  in  his  lifetime.     But  in  po- 


VISIT    TO    THE    MOSQUES    AND    COLLEGES.     401 

lemical  divinity,  the  distinctive  features   of 
Soonneeism  and  Sheeahism,  and  in  the  doc- 
trines   of  the    Soofees,  he  was   more  profi- 
cient.    He  could  recite  some  of  the  verses 
of  Saadi,  whom  he  called  his  favourite  poet, 
though  he  confessed  at  the  same    time    his 
disrelish   for   the   other    distinguished   ones 
of  his  country.     Of  Arabic  literature  he  was 
entirely  ignorant ;  and  the  best  historians  of 
his  own  country  were  unknown  to  him,  since 
I  mentioned  the  names  of  several,  with  the 
titles    of   their   works,   as  popularly  known 
among  Oriental  scholars  of  the  west,  of  which 
he  had  not  even  heard.     The  claim  of  this 
man  to  be  considered  as  one  of  the  most 
learned  of  the  day,  and  the  ornament  of  the 
colleges  of  Ispahan,  might  have  been  suffi- 
ciently well-founded ;  but  if  this   were  ad- 
mitted, as  it  was  here  without  a  scruple,  the 
condition  of  useful  learning  in  Persia  must 
be  deplorably  low  and  degraded.     The  Mool- 
lah    Hadjee  Mir  Mohammed    Hossein    was 
however   kind,    subserviently    humble,    and 
easily  polite  in  his  manners ;  and  there  was 
neither  pride  nor  affectation  apparent  in  his 
behaviour. 

We  spent  a  considerable  time  with  this 

VOL.  I.  2d 


402  ISPAHAN.' 

man,  examining  some  specimens  of  fine  Per- 
sian* writing,  of  which  he  had  an  extensive 
and  beautiful  collection,  chiefly  made  up  of 
detached  sentences  and  chapters  of  the  Ko- 
ran. We  were  served  here  with  a  noon  re- 
past of  fruits  and  sweetmeats,  before  we  were 
conducted  over  the  college  ;  and  this,  with 
a  ride  in  the  garden,  into  which  its  outer 
front  opened,  consumed  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  day ;  so  that  we  did  not  return  home 
until  sunset,  where  a  scene  of  more  animat- 
ing joys  was  prepared  for  us, — and  a  night 
of  turbulent  delight,  with  all  the  accessories 
of  wine  and  appropriate  music,  which  are 
nowhere  enjoyed  with  more  zest  than  in 
this  country,  where  they  are  strictly  forbid- 
den, succeeded  to  a  day  of  calm  and  tran- 
quil pleasure. 


I 


I 


CHAPTER  XV. 


VIEW  OF  ISPAHAN  FROM  AN  EMINENCE  OVERLOOKING  THE  CITY. 


PuUli.hcd  by  Henry  Colburn,  8  New  Burlington  Street.     Jan.  1,  1829. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ISPAHAN  PALACE     OF     OUR     RESIDENCE  

PAINTINGS GARDENS DISTANT  VIEW    OF 

THE  CITY. 

Oct.  13th. — We  had  been  hitherto  so  oc- 
cupied in  our  excursions  round  the  city,  and 
the  sight  of  all  that  has  been  so  hastily  and 
imperfectly  described,  that  the  splendid  pa- 
lace of  our  own  residence  had  not  yet  been 
half  gone  over,  and  the  more  modern  esta- 
blishment for  the  present  royal  family  at- 
tached to  it  had  altogether  escaped  our  at- 
tention. The  first  of  these  was  one  of  the 
earliest  residences  of  Shah  Abbas  the  Great, 
and  that  to  which  he  is  said  to  have  been 
most  attached  through  life.  It  is  called 
Talar  Tuweelah,  from  its  extensive  stables 
for  one  thousand  horses  near  it.  Its  large 
2  D  2 


404  ISPAHAN. 

hall  of  audience,  which  fronts  a  fine  gar- 
den, has  been  already  described.  Its  noble 
dimensions,  and  the  splendour  of  its  deco- 
rations, were  in  no  way  inferior  to  those  of 
the  Chehel  Sitoon,  and  other  buildings  in 
the  Hasht  Behest ;  and  though  of  equal,  or 
even  older  date,  it  was  in  a  much  higher  state 
of  preservation  than  either  of  these.  A  large 
closed  room  led  off  from  one  end  of  this, 
which,  as  it  was  entered  by  small  latticed 
doors,  and  afterwards  solid  double  ones,  was 
most  probably  a  banqueting  room  of  the 
King,  when  retired  with  his  females.  The 
domed  roof  of  this  was  particularly  beau- 
tiful ; — the  pictured  subjects  were  appropri- 
ate to  retired  pleasures,  the  stained  glass 
windows  gave  a  rich  and  mellowed  light,  and 
there  were  balconies,  or  galleries,  ascended  to 
by  steps,  as  if  for  musicians,  or  singers.  My 
own  room  communicated  with  the  principal 
hall  by  three  sets  of  double-doors,  and  opened 
on  the  other  side  into  a  high  walled  court, 
perfectly  secluded  even  from  the  highest 
point  of  view  without.  This  was  also  said  to 
have  been  one  of  the  female  apartments, 
which  appeared  extremely  probable,  from  its 
comparatively  small  size,  the  style  of  its  de- 


PALACE    OF    OUR   RESIDENCE.  405 

corations,  and  the  manner  of  its  communi- 
cation, by  double  doors,  with  the  hall  on  one 
side,  and  by  an,  equal  number  of  the  same 
kind  with  the  garden  and  court  on  the  other. 
The  walls  of  this,  from  the  floor  to  the  roof, 
were  of  raised  gold-work,  on  a  blue  ground, 
and  the  lower  recesses  were  executed  in  the 
same  way,  with  devices  of  flowers,  trees,  birds, 
&c.  In  the  upper  recesses,  which  were  sepa- 
rated from  the  lower  by  a  rich  broad  frieze  of 
gold  ground,  with  flowers,  were  a  succession 
of  historical  paintings.  In  these,  females 
were  always  the  heroines  of  the  story : 
sometimes  they  appeared  in  the  chase — at 
others,  in  the  act  of  being  sold  as  slaves — 
love  and  intrigue  were  depicted  in  some — 
and  in  one,  the  sight  of  a  female  bathing 
in  a  stream  had  checked  the  speed  of  an 
amorous  prince,  who  gazed  on  her  with  in- 
tense desire.  The  story  of  Baharam  Gour, 
or  Baharam  the  Fifth,  and  his  fair  favourite, 
fills  the  last  -compartment  near  the  door,  and 
is  perfectly  understood  by  even  the  children 
of  the  country.  This  monarch,  whose  reign 
has  ended  nearly  fourteen  hundred  years? 
has  been  pronounced  to  be  one  of  the  best 
sovereigns  that  ever  ruled  Persia  ;  the  happi- 

VOI..  I.  2  D  3 


406  ISPAHAN. 

ness  of  his  subjects  being  his  sole  object,  du- 
ring the  whole  of  his  reign.  His  favourite 
amusement,  in  hours  of  relaxation  from  pub- 
lic duties,  was  the  chase ;  and  in  the  indul- 
gence of  this  passion,  indeed,  he  lost  his  life. 
Sir  John  Malcolm,  in  his  visit  to  one  of 
this  monarch's  hunting  seats,  heard  almost 
exactly  the  same  story  of  his  skill  as  an 
archer,  as  was  related  to  me  by  a  domes- 
tic who  explained  the  painting  of  the  sub- 
ject on  the  walls  here.^  The  king  is  re- 
presented sitting  in  a  chair,  while  his  horse 
is  held  by  an  attendant ;  and  his  .banished 
favourite  is  seen  bearing  on  her  shoulders  a 
large  black  cow,  and  with  it  ascending  a  flight 
of  ten  steps  leading  to  an  apartment  above. 
The  doors  of  this  pictured  room  were  se- 
curely made,  neatly  panelled,  and  the  grain 
of  the  sycamore  wood  of  the  country  imi- 
tated on  a  varnished  ground  by  waves  of 
gold.  The  windows  over  the  doors  leading 
to  the  garden  were  among  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  any  that  I  had  seen  in  Ispahan  ;  they 
were  of  a  pointed  arched  form,  richly  co- 
vered  in   small   hollow  work    of  the   most 

*  Malcolm's  History  of  Persia,  vol.  i.  p.  119. 


PALACE    OF    OUR    RESIDENCE.  407 

ingenious  patterns,  and  the  harmony  of  co- 
lours in  the  extremely  minute  pieces  of 
glass  which  filled  these  intervals  was  per- 
fection itself.  As  the  doors  below  were 
double,  so  were  these  windows ;  the  hol- 
low between  the  inner  and  the  outer  ones 
occupying  all  tJie  thickness  of  the  wall 
from  three  to  four  feet.  The  outer  win- 
dows were  now  spread  over  with  paper,  yet, 
even  in  this  state,  the  rich  effect  of  the 
light  was  inconceivably  fine. 

Behind  the  suite  of  apartments  connected 
with  the  great  hall,  were  other  courts  and 
gardens,  filled  with  canals  and  fountains,  and 
surrounded  by  buildings  fit  in  every  sense  to 
form  the  abodes  of  luxurious  and  powerful 
sovereigns  ;  in  all  of  which,  labour  and  wealth 
had  been  lavished,  as  if  neither  seemed  of 
any  value  or  account.  Large  squares,  with 
open  troughs  for  horses  around  them,  and 
closed  stalls  within,  extensive  kitchens,  and 
other  domestic  offices,  were  attached  to  these; 
and,  within  all,  was  a  spacious  court,  of 
nearly  a  thousand  feet  square,  with  empty 
fountains,  broken  pedestals,  portions  of  a  fine 
stone  pavement  that   covered  the  whole,  a 


408  ISPAHAN. 

range  of  noble  buildings  round  the  sides, 
and  a  square  pile  of  more  costly  ones  in 
the  centre,  all  now  deserted  and  in  ruins. 
This,  we  were  told,  was  once  a  royal  harem, 
in  which  were  immured  upwards  of  three 
hundred  of  the  most  beautiful  Georgian 
girls,  besides  wives  and  slaves  of  other  coun- 
tries ;  and  the  magnificence  of  the  esta- 
blishment, the  richness  of  its  gilded  arches, 
domes,  and  walls,  induced  us  to  credit  all 
that  could  be  said  of  it  in  its  original  per- 
fection.^ 

*  One  of  the  oldest  and  best  accounts  of  Ispahan,  soon  after 
the  period  of  Shah  Abbas's  government,  is  given  by  Sir  Thomas 
Herbert,  an  EngUsh  traveller,  who  visited  it  in  1627,  and  parts 
of  whose  description  are  so  curious  as  to  be  worth  transcrib- 
ing, especially  as  his  book  is  not  now  easy  of  access  to  the  ge- 
neral reader.     He  says  : — 

*  The  imperial  city  Spawhawn  is  in  thirty-two  degrees  thirty- 
nine  minutes  north  ;  is  seated  in  the  kingdom  of  Parthia,  in  a 
fair  plain  and  pleasant  horizon.  It  is  by  some  called  Spaan, 
and  by  others  Spahan  and  Hispahan,  as  their  several  dialects 
concorded. 

*  It  is  a  city  of  as  great  extent  as  fame,  and  as  ancient  as  fa- 
mous, and  no  less  proud  than  ancient.  At  this  time  triumph- 
ing over  those  once  more  royal  cities,  Babylon,  Ninive,  Shu- 
shan,  Ecbatan,  Perssepolis,  Arsatia,  and  Nabarca. 

'This  city  was  in  her  infancy  called  Dura;  but  whether  in 
that  Dura,  where  the  great  Assyrian  monarch,  Nebuchadnezzar, 
erected  his  golden  colosse,  I  know  it  not :  but  this  is  known, 
that  it  was  called  by  the  ancient  Greeks  Hecatompylos,  from 


PALACE    OF    OUR   RESIDENCE.  409 

The  palace  erected  for  the  present  mo- 
narch, Futteh  Ali  Shah,  was  the  work  of  a 
builder  named  Aga  Bozoorg,  who  was  him- 
self our  guide  over  it.  It  has  not  been 
completed  more  than  four  years,  and  was 
altogether  done  at  the  expense  of  the  pre- 
sent Governor  of  the  city,  Hadjee  Moham- 
med Hoosein  Khan,  as  a  tribute  to  his  sove- 
reign. It  is  said  to  be  by  far  the  best  palace 
of  his  own  in  all  the  country,  and  far  supe- 
rior to  any  of  the  royal  residences  at  Tehe- 
raun,  Tabreez,  Kermanshah,  or  Shiraz ;  for, 

its  hundred  gates  ;  for  Hecatompolis  was  meant  by  the  Crsetan 
isle,  which  had  so  many  cities. 

*  The  boasting  Persians  named  her,  for  her  bigness,  Half  the 
World;  and  this  greatness  of  hers  was  long  ago,  for  these  Scy- 
thopersse  know  her  no  longer,  then  called  Spawhawn,  which 
has  no  signification.  To  say  truth,  she  is. beautiful  and  ancient ; 
her  circuit  may  be  nine  miles,  and  in  that  the  better  half  is  gar- 
dens. 

*  The  city  is  round,  like  Paris  ;  its  circuit,  I  have  said,  about 
nine  English  miles;  her  inhabitants,  300,000  souls,  at  most. 
The  chief  ornaments  of  the  city  are  the  Mydan,  or  great  mar- 
ket ;  the  Hummums,  or  hot-houses  ;  the  Mosques,  the  King's 
palaces,  and  the  gardens. 

*  The  Mydan  is  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  and,  to  say  truth, 
all  the  bravery,  concourse,  wealth,  and  trade,  are  comprised  in 
her.  It  is  built  quadrangular,  though  of  unequal  angles  :  from 
north  to  south,  is  seven  hundred  and  seventy-five  of  my  paces  ; 
from  east  to  west,  two  hundred,  but,  accounting  the  aisle  to  the 
north  issuing,  is  at  least  a  thousand. 

'  It  is 


410  ISPAHAN. 


though  all  the  remains  of  departed  grandeur 
here  are  the  property  of  the  King,  it  is  the 
fashion  of  this  country  for. the  reigning  so- 
vereign not  to  inhabit  any  palace  of  his  an- 


*  It  is  built  in  form  of  our  Royal  Exchange,  with  four  aisles 
and  a  court  within,  called  the  Hippodrome,  so  called  from  their 
running  with  horses  there.  It  is  stored  with  all  merchandises, 
chiefly  drugs  ;  and  to  this  place  daily  resort  most  nations,  as 
English,  Dutch,  Portuguals,  Arabians,  Turks,  Jews,  Armenians, 
Muscovans,  and  Indians. 

*The  Hummums  here  are  round,  spacious,  and  costly;  one 
of  which,  built  by  this  king,  cost  fifteen  thousand  pounds  ster- 
ling, ere  it  was  finished.  They  are  much  given  to  bathing,  and 
it  is  most  of  their  physic.  The  men  go  in  the  afternoon,  the 
women  at  morn,  and  guided  by  the  eunuchs. 

*  The  Mosques,  or  churches,  are  large  and  handsome  :  that  at 
the  west  side  of  the  Mydan  is  most  beautiful.  It  is  round, 
built  with  good  white  marble  five  yards  high  from  the  sole  ; 
the  rest  is  dried  bricks,  covered  over  with  posies  of  Arabic,  and 
like  work. 

*  The  King's  prime  house  is  within  the  Mydan,  yet  no  way 
entrenching  further  than  the  other  houses  ;  it  is  two  stories 
high,  gilded  and  wrought  in  antique  works  and  posies,  to  the 
outward  view ;  within,  the  rooms  are  covered  with  rich  carpets, 
the  roof  embossed  and  wrought  with  gold  and  blue,  terraced 
above. 

'  Before  his  door  lie  unmounted  forty-three  demicannons,  one- 
and-thirty  are  brass,  the  rest  of  iron,  and  are  culverins.  These 
were  brought  from  Ormus  or  Babylon. 

*  At  the  north  end  of  the  Mydan  are  eight  or  nine  rooms, 
like  chapels,  hung  with   lamps,  which,  being  many  and  clear. 


PALACE    OF    OUR    RESIDENCE.  411 

cestors  ;  so  that  excellent  edifices  are  thus 
neglected  and  destroyed,  to  erect  inferior 
ones  on  their  site. 

This  palace,  which  is  in  the  general  style 


give  a  dainty  splendour.     Hither,  sometimes,  the  King  repairs, 
and  when  he  is  away,  the  people  are  admitted. 

*  The  Gardens  fall  in  the  next  place  to  be  spoken  of ;  and 
in  this,  the  city  enjoys  many,  both  large  and  delightful.  I  will 
content  myself  to  speak  of  one,  by  which  you  may  conjecture 
of  the  rest. 

*  It  is  at  the  south-west  end  of  the  city,  to  which  you  pass 
through  a  street  of  two  miles  length,  and  better,  both  sides 
planted  with  Chenor  trees. 

*  The  garden  is  called  Nazar-iareeb ;  it  is  a  thousand  paces 
from  north  to  south,  and  seven  hundred  broad.  It  hath  varieties 
of  fruits  and  pleasant  trees,  and  is  watered  with  a  stream  cut 
through  the  Coronian  mountain,  and  is  forcibly  brought  hither. 
The  first  walk  is  set  with  pipes  of  lead  and  brass,  through  which 
the  water  is  urged,  and  gives  variety  of  pleasure. 

'  From  the  entrance  to  the  farther  end,  is  one  continued 
open  alley,  divided  into  nine  ascents,  each  mounting  higher 
by  a  foot  than  the  other :  the  space  betwixt  each  ascent  is 
smooth  and  pleasant.  In  the  midst  is  a  fair  tank,  or  pond  of 
water,  of  twelve  equal  angles,  and  rows  set  witli  pipes  to  spout 
the  water. 

*  At  the  entrance  is  a  little,  but  well-built  house  of  pleasure, 
the  lower  rooms  adorned  with  crystal  water,  immured  with  tanks 
of  rich  white  marble. 

'  The  chambers  above  are  enriched  with  pictures,  represent- 
ing sports,  hawking,  fishing,  archery,  wrestling,  &c. :  other 
places  in  use  very  richly  overlaid  with  gold  and  azure. 

*  But  that  which  is  of  most  commendation,  is  the  prospect  it 

enjoys 


412  ISPAHAN. 

of  the  plainest  of  the  old  ones  here,  is  fur- 
nished with  spacious  courts,  fountains,  canals, 
gardens,  and  trees.  With  such  fine  models 
immediately  before  their  eyes,  the  builders 
have  succeeded  in  completing  a  tolerable  imi- 

enjoys ;  for,  by  being  seated  so  high,  it  overtops  and  gives  the 
excellent  view  of  a  great  part  of  the  city,  which  cannot  be 
obtained  elsewhere. 

*  Returning  to  the  city,  you  pass  over  a  bridge,  arched  and 
supported  with  five-and-thirty  pillars,  under  which  is  a  stream 
of  water,  sometimes  so  broad  as  the  Thames  at  London,  but 
other  sometimes  near  dried  up ;  and  he  that  looketh  to  it  is 
called  Prince  of  the-  River,  a  name  and  employment  of  great 
honour  and  benefit. 

'  Abbas,  the  late  victorious  King,  with  whom '  few  things 
were  impossible,  for  many  years  past  hath  endeavoured  to  cut 
through  many  mountains,  (the  Coronian,  being  next  the  town,) 
to  bring  the  river  to  Spawhawn,  by  the  daily  labour  of  forty 
thousand  slaves,  which  of  itself  runs  quietly  fifty  miles  distant 
thence,  and  has  performed  it  almost  successfully ;  which,  when 
it  has  perfection,  may  well  compare  with  that  old  wonder,  in- 
tended by  vain-glorious  Nero,  betwixt  Ostia  and  Avernus,  now 
called  Lycola. 

*  Out  of  the  city,  behind  that  late  described  garden,  is  a 
mount  rising  in  midst  a  spacious  plain,  which  by  the  Persians 
is  called  Darow,  and  supposed  that  place  where  Darius,  in 
imitation  of  his  predecessor  Xerxes,  wept  upon  view  of  his  in- 
numerous  army,  so  suddenly  to  become  nothing. 

*  In  this  city  is  a  column,  compact  of  several  heads,  of  men, 
antelopes,  bucks,  goats,  buffaloes,  elephants,  and  camels;  it  is 
at  the  base  about  twenty  foot  in  compass,  and,  I  suppose,  the 
height  threescore.  It  was  erected  upon  this  occasion :  when 
Abbas  was  proclaimed   King,  the  Spawhawnians  would  not  let 


I 


PALACE    OF    OUR    RESIDENCE.  418 

tation  of  the  more  ancient  works.  It  is  only 
less  costly,  less  gorgeous,  and  less  overpower- 
ing in  splendour.  The  apartments  are  laid 
out  on  nearly  the  same  plan,  and  are  adorned 
in  a  very  similar  way.     Some  few  paintings 

him  enter,  but  charged  him  with  the  death  of  Mahomet,  his 
father,  and  the  murder  of  Emyrhamze,  the  Prince,  his  elder 
brother. 

'  This  nettled  Abbas,  and  made  him  swear  stoutly  by  his 
crown,  by  his  father's  soul,  the  eight  refulgent  orbs,  the  eleven 
hundred  names  of  God,  and  the  honour  of  his  prophet  Ma- 
homet, for  this  rebellion  he  would  chastise  them  bravely,  cut  off 
forty  thousand  of  their  heads,  to  raise  a  pillar  of  terror  and  ad- 
miration, as  a  ready  sacrifice  unto  Mahomet. 

*  After  much  ado,  he  conquers  them,  ransacks  the  city,  kills 
a  thousand  of  them,  and,  mindful  of  his  oath,  gives  order  to 
behead  forty  thousand.  A  lamentable  cry  was  raised,  and  much 
entreaty  used,  but  to  small  purpose.  The  vow  of  the  Persians 
never  alters,  nor  could  he  be  dissuaded,  till  the  Mufti,  or  sacred 
messenger,  assures  him,  Mahomet  by  revelation  told  him,  his 
oath  might  be  dispensed  with,  so  forty  thousand  were  beheaded, 
no  matter  what ;  to  which,  at  length,  he  is  content  to,  where- 
upon a  general  massacre  of  all  sorts  of  beast  executed,  the 
harmless  often  suffering  for  the  nocent;  and  this  monument 
of  merciless  mercy  was  reared  higher  than  any  mosque  in  that 
city,  though  now  grown  ruinous. 

*  A  like  trophy  was  built  by  cruel  Mustapha  Bassaw,  general 
for  the  Great  Turk,  Amurath  the  Third,  who  with  a  hundred 
thousand  men  entered  Persia,  and  was  repulsed  by  Sultan  To- 
comack,  the  Persian  general,  where,  in  the  Caldaran  plains, 
thirty-thousand  Turks  lost  their  lives,  and  only  eight  thousand 
Persians,  of  whose  heads  Mustapha  made  a  monument  for  his 
dear-bought  victory,  and  horror  to  the  Persians.'     Pages  82 — 91 . 

A  singular 


414  ISPAHAN. 

of  Georgian  youths,  of  both  sexes,  are  seen, 
with  portraits  of  Jemsheed,^  and  other  dis- 
tinguished ancients,  and  of  Jengiz  Khan,  and 
some  other  moderns.  The  portrait  of  the 
King  himself  occupies  the  chief  place  in 
every  apartment :  sometimes  represented  as 
seated  on  the  chair  or  throne  of  state ;  at 
others,  reclining  in  the  divan,  surrounded  by 
his  sons  and  officers  of  court.  The  portraits 
are  all  alike,  and  are  said  to  be  very  faithful : 
they  are  executed  as  well  as  any  of  the  older 
paintings  of  Ispahan.  All  these  rooms  being 
newly  carpeted,  the  work  fresh,  and  every 
thing  in  perfect  order,  there  is  greater  plea- 
sure in  witnessing  this  effi)rt  of  recent  labour 
than  in  traversing  the  decayed  halls  of  more 
splendid  days ;  though  almost  every  part  of 
the  modern  works,  both  in  the  architecture 

A  singular  representation  is  given,  in  an  engraving,  of  this 
obelisk,  or  monument,  composed  of  human  skulls,  some  parts 
of  which  remained  to  a  period  within  the  memory  of  persons 
still  living  in  Ispahan;  but  every  trace  of  it  is  now  fortunately 
obliterated. 

*  Jemsheed,  the  Alfred  of  the  Persians,  to  whom  all  great 
works  are  attributed,  is  said  to  have  divided  his  subjects  into 
four  classes :  the  second  of  which,  or  the  warriors,  were  called 
Nessereeans.  — i/w^orj/  of  Persia,  p.  206.  Can  the  Nessereeah 
of  Kerrund,  and  of  the  mountains  in  Syria,  have  any  relation 
to  these  ? 


PALACE    OF    OUR    RESIDENCE.  415 

and  the  details,  bespeaks  a  decline  of  art  in 
the  country. 

The  present  monarch  has  resided  at  Ispa- 
han at  three  different  periods,  for  a  short 
time  only  ;  but  though  he  admires  the  situa- 
tion, the  climate,  the  productions,  and  the 
former  greatness  of  Ispahan,  the  latter  of 
which  he  might  have  it  in  his  power  to 
restore  by  his  residence  here,  a  regard  to  his 
personal  safety  is  said  to  make  him  prefer 
the  bad  air,  bad  water,  and  otherwise  dis- 
agreeable station  of  Teheraun,  where  he  has 
secured  his  treasures  by  strong  walls,— is 
nearer  his  own  tribe  of  the  Kujurs  for  sup- 
port, in  case  of  rebellion, — and  has  behind 
him  impenetrable  forests  for  escape,  in  the 
event   of  these   betraying   him  *      Whether 

*  The  Kujurs  are  a  Turkish  tribe.  The  first  son  of  the  pre- 
sent King  of  Persia,  Futteh  Ali  Shah,  called  Mahommed  Wali 
Mirza,  was  once  Governor  of  Mushed,  but  has  been  driven  out» 
and  now  lives  about  his  father's  court  at  Teheran,  without  a 
post.  The  second  son,  Mahomed  Ali  Mirza,  now  Governor  of 
Kermanshah,  is  a  high-spirited  and  aspiring  character,  and  a 
great  favourite  of  the  nation.  The  third  son,  Abbas  Mirza, 
Governor  of  Tabreez,  is  less  enterprising  and  less  popular;  but 
he  is  the  avowed  favourite  of  the  monarch,  and  is  declared  heir 
to  his  throne.  The  fourth  son,  Hassan  Ali  Mirza,  Governor  of 
Shiraz,  is  seemingly  contented  with  his  present  power,  and  puts 
forth  no  pretensions  to  an  extension  of  it.     The  two  first  of 


416  ISPAHAN. 

these  be  his  motives  or  not,  such  is  the  gene- 
ral opinion  of  his  subjects  here,  who  do  not 
scruple  to  pronounce  it  openly,  and  inveigh 
both  against  his  boundless  avarice,  his  op- 
pressive government,  the  corruption  of  his  in- 
ferior agents,  and  his  own  personal  cowardice. 

After  long  waiting  in  vain  for  an  occasion 
of  departing  with  a  caravan  from  hence  for 
Shiraz,  we  had  determined  to  set  out  on  the 
morrow  alone,  and  trust,  as  we  had  done  be- 
fore on  similar  occasions,  to  our  own  vigilance 
and  union  for  safety. 

The  city  of  Ispahan  being  seated  on  a  per- 
fect plain,  with  no  one  eminence  throughout 
its  vast  extent,  we  had  as  yet  enjoyed  no 
commanding  view  of  it  as  a  whole,  from  any 
one  part  of  the  numerous  rides  that  we  had 
taken  around  it.  The  most  elevated  build- 
ing in  the  city,  excepting  only  the  domes  and 
minarets  of  the  mosques,  was  fortunately  a 
part  of  the  very  palace  we  inhabited,  and 
stood  at  the  end  of  a  walled  passage,  of  about 

these  are  the  offspring  of  the  King  by  Georgian  women  :  the 
third  is  by  a  high-born  female  of  the  Kujur  tribe,  and  is  there- 
fore chosen  to  succeed  the  King ;  but  the  second  son  refuses 
to  do  him  homage  during  the  life  of  his  father,  and  publicly 
avows  his  determination  to  dispute  the  empire  with  him,  at  the 
point  of  the  sword;  on  this  monarch's  death. 


PALACE    OF    OUR    JIESIDENCE.  417 

a  thousand  feet  in  length,  leading  directly 
from  the  court  of  my  own  apartment  east- 
ward towards  the  Maidan,  or  Great  Square. 

This  building  is  called  Ali  Kaupee,  or 
Ali's  Gate,  from  the  Turkish;  the  lower  part 
of  it  having  been  brought  from  the  tomb  of 
Imam  Ali,  at  NujufF.  The  edifice  is  a  lofty 
square  pile,  of  five  stories  in  height,  with  a 
flat  terrace  on  the  top.  As  the  chief  builder, 
Aga  Bozoorg,  was  always  near,  from  his 
assisting  Mr.  Armstrong  in  his  labours,  and 
this  with  all  the  other  public  edifices  was  in 
his  custody,  we  expressed  a  desire  to  ascend 
to  the  top  of  it,  and  take  our  evening  coffee 
and  caleoons, — a  favour  which  was  readily 
granted. 

The  eastern  front  of  this  building  occu- 
pies the  immediate  centre  of  the  west  side  of 
the  Maidan  Shah,  looking  directly  over  that 
extensive  square,  and  opening  into  it ;  and 
its  western,  or  back  front,  led,  by  the  walled 
passage  described,  directly  to  our  own  resi- 
dence. We  ascended  it  on  the  inside  by  a 
narrow  staircase,  the  steps  of  which  had  been 
cased  with  coloured  tiles,  and  the  walls  and 
ceilings  were  richly  painted.  After  passing 
a  number  of  small  apartments  and  irregular 

VOL.    I.  2  E 


418  ISPAHAN. 

passages,  we  came  on  the  third  story  to  the 
noble  balcony,  or  portico,  which  overlooks 
the  Maidan,  and  in  which  the  sovereigns  of 
Persia  used  to  sit,  to  receive  processions,  em- 
bassies, or  other  large  assemblies,  as  they 
appeared  before  them  in  the  square  below.* 

*  The  manner  in  which  these  embassies  were  received  and 
entertained,  as  well  as  the  character  of  the  reigning  monarch 
and  his  court,  in  the  time  of  Abbas,  is  so  graphically  described 
by  Herbert,  that  a  perusal  of  his  account  will  give  the  modem 
reader  a  more  accurate  notion  of  the  state  of  the  country  then, 
than  any  thing  that  could  be  presented  to  him.  He  will  not 
fail  to  have  observed,  in  a  preceding  extract  from  the  same  old 
writer,  the  freedom  with  which  travellers  spoke,  two  centuries 
ago,  of  the  peculiarities  in  foreign  manners  that  attracted  their 
attention.  More  recent  voyagers  are  obliged  to  speak  less 
plainly :  but  it  is  questionable  whether  the  public  taste  has  not 
driven  them  into  the  opposite  extreme,  and  whether  what  is 
gained  in  decorum  of  expression  is  not  lost  in  fidelity  of  de- 
scription. The  following  is  Herbert's  account  of  his  entertain- 
ment in  1627. 

*  At  our  alighting  at  the  court-gate,  an  officer  led  us  into  a 
little  place,  having  a  pretty  marble  pond  or  tank  in  centre, 
the  rest  spread  with  silk  carpets,  where  our  ambassador  and 
the  rest  stayed  two  hours,  and  then  were  feasted  with  a  dish  of 
pelo,  which  is  rice  boiled  with  hens,  mutton,  butter,  almonds 
and  turmerack  :  but  how  mean  soever  the  diet  was,  the  furni- 
ture was  excellent,  pure  beaten  gold,  both  dishes,  covers,  flagons, 
cups,  and  the  rest. 

*  Thence  we  were  led  by  many  Sultans,  through  a  large,  deli- 
cate, and  odoriferous  garden,  to  a  house  of  pleasure,  whose 
chambers  both  viewed  the  tops  of  Taurus  and  the  Caspian  Sea. 


PALACE    OF    OUR    RESIDENCE.  419 

This  portico  resembles  in  its  general  aspect 
that  of  the  Chehel  Sitoon,  and  the  pillars  are 
of  the  same  number  and  description.     We 

*  Into  this  lodge  we  entered ;  the  low  room  was  round  and 
spacious,  the  ground  spread  with  silk  carpets,  in  the  midst  a 
marble  tank  full  of  crystalline  water  (an  element  of  no  small 
account  in  those  torrid  habitations),  and  round  about  the 
tank,  vessels  of  pure  gold,  some  filled  with  wine,  others  with 
sweet-smelling  flowers. 

*  Thence  into  a  chamber,  furnished  in  manner  as  the  former, 
but  with  three  times  more  vessels  of  gold,  set  there  for  pomp 
and  observation. 

*  At  the  end  sat  the  Potshaugh,  or  great  King,  cross-legged 
and  mounted  a  little  higher  than  the  rest,  his  seat  having  two 
or  three  white  silk  shags  upon  the  carpets. 

*  His  attire  was  very  ordinary ;  his  tulipant  could  not  out- 
value forty  shillings,  his  coat  red  calico  quilted  with  cotton, 
worth  very  little,  his  sword  hung  in  a  leather  belt,  its  handle 
or  hilt  was  gold  ;  and  in  regard  the  King  was  so  plain  attired, 
most  of  the  court  had  like  apparel  on  for  that  day. 

*  Yet  the  plate  and  jewels  in  that  house  argued  against  po- 
verty, a  merchant  then  there  imagined  it  worth  twenty  millions 
of  pounds. 

'  So  soon  as  our  lord  ambassador  came  to  him,  he  by  his  in- 
terpreter delivered  briefly  the  cause  of  his  journey,  which  was  to 
congratulate  his  victorious  success  against  the  Turk,  to  renewth^e 
traffic  of  silk,  and  other  things  to  benefit  the  merchants,  and  to 
see  Sir  Robert  Sherley  purge  himself  from  those  imputations  laid 
on  him  by  Nogdibeg  the  King  of  Persia  his  late  ambassador. 

'  The  King  gave  him  a  very  gracious  reply,  and  whereas  he 
thinks  it  honour  enough  to  let  the  great  Turk's  ambassador  kiss 
the  hem  of  his  coat,  and  sometimes  his  foot,  he  very  nobly  gave 
our  ambassador  his  hand,  and  with  it  pulled  him  down  and 
seated  him  next  to  him  cross-legged,  and  calling  for  a  cup  of 

9.  E.2 


420 


ISPAHAN. 


passed  our  evening  here,  enjoying  the  splen- 
did view  of  the  city,  till  night  invited  us  to 
repose. 

wine,  drank  to  his  Majesty  our  famous  King,  at  which  he  put  off 
his  hat,  and  the  King  seeing  it,  put  off  his  turban,  and  drank 
the  cup  off,  which  our  ambassador  pledged  thankfully.  And 
the  people  thought  it  a  strange  thing  to  see  their  King  so  com- 
plimental,  for  it  is  a  shame  with  them  to  be  bare-headed. 

'The  chamber  wherein  he  was  entertained,  had  the  sides 
painted  and  gilded  very  beautifully,  though  indeed  the  verse  may 
be  inverted,  Materia  superabat  opus,  and  not  materiam, 

'  Round  about,  with  their  backs  to  the  wall,  were  seated  fifty 
or  sixty  Beglerbegs,  Sultans,  and  Chawns,  who  sit  like  so  many 
statues,  rather  than  living  men.  The  Ganymede  boys  go  up  and 
down  with  flagons  of  wine,  and  fill  to  those  that  covet  it. 

'  The  day  before  this  ceremony,  the  King  rode  to  hunt  the 
tiger,  accompanied  only  with  two  hundred  women,  his  wives  and 
concubines ;  most  of  them  were  attired  like  courageous  Ama- 
zons, with  scymitar,  bow,  and  arrows,  the  eunuchs  riding  abroad 
to  prohibit  any  to  come  in  view  of  them  :  the  penalty  is  no  less 
than  loss  of  life,  a  dear  price  for  novelties. 

*  And  though  for  the  most  part,  when  the  King  is  in  a  pro- 
gress, he  has  sometimes  ten  thousand,  other  times  twenty  thou- 
sand Cozelbashaws,  or  soldiers  of  best  reckoning,  yet  at  our 
being  then  at  court,  two  thousand  was  the  most  then  attending 
him.'     Pages  96—98. 

There  are  passages  in  this,  and  indeed  in  the  works  of  all  old 
travellers,  which  could  not  now  be  printed  ;  but  the  curious 
must  be  content  to  refer  to  these  in  the  originals. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


FIRE  TEMPLES  OF  THE  ANCIENT  DISCIPLES  OF    ZOROASTER. 


Published  by  Henry  Colburn,  8  New  Builmgton  Street.     Jan.  1, 1829. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

DEPARTURE      FROM     ISPAHAN AND     JOURNEY 

BY      AMMEENABAD      AND     YEZDIKHAUST     TO 
PERSEPOLIS. 

Oct.  14tli. — Having  completed  all  our  ar- 
rangements for  prosecuting  our  journey  fur- 
ther south,  we  rose  early,  and  taking  a  moon- 
light breakfast,  with  the  friends  who  had  so 
hospitably  entertained  us  at  Ispahan,  we 
mounted  our  horses  for  departure  at  day- 
light. The  Fakeer,  Zein  el  Abedeen,  had 
now  left  us,  to  remain  at  this  city ;  assign- 
ing as  his  reason,  that  a  revival  of  the  pas- 
sion, which  he  had  in  vain  performed  a 
pilgrimage  to  conquer,  would  not  suffer  him 
to  quit  again  the  favoured  abode  of  his  mis- 
tress, who,  he  assured  us,  had  taken  pity  on 
him   since  his  return,  and  made  him  vows 


422  DEPARTURE    FROM    ISPAHAN. 

of  eternal  fidelity,  though  her  husband  still 
held  her  in  bondage.  The  Dervish,  Ismael, 
however,  still  continued  attached  to  me  ;  and 
though  he  was  evidently  averse  to  our  setting 
out  on  the  journey  alone,  yet  he  affected  to 
bid  a  loud  defiance  to  all  dangers,  as  he 
buckled  on  his  sword. 

Mr.  Armstrong  insisted  on  accompanying 
us  out  of  the  city,  and  the  Topjee  Bashee, 
Assad  Ullah  Khan,  who  was  prevented  from 
doing  us  this  intended  honour,  by  his  having 
an  early  engagement  with  the  Governor,  sent 
his  own  led  horse,  with  his  young  son,  Mo- 
hammed Hassan,  and  a  number  of  his  ser- 
vants to  swell  our  train.  All  this,  as  I  had 
now  resumed  my  former  character  of  an 
Arab  Pilgrim,  I  would  rather  have  dispensed 
with,  but  there  was  no  resisting  these  kind 
attentions. 

As  we  quitted  Ispahan,  we  went  out  through 
the  Shiraz-gate,  passing  through  the  long 
avenues  of  the  Char  Bagh  in  our  way,  and 
having  gardens  on  each  side  of  us,  well  water- 
ed by  fountains,  canals,  subterranean  aque- 
ducts,^ and  artificial  cascades,  the  trees   in 

*  The  aqueducts  of  Persia  are  all  subterranean,  and  contri- 
bute nothing  to  the  architectural  beauty  or  ornament  pf  the 
country,  like  those  of  Europe. 


DEPAKTURE    FROM    ISPAHAN.  423 

most  luxuriant  foliage,  and  full-blown  roses 
adding  their  perfume  to  this  general  breath 
of  Spring,  prolonged  to  so  late  a  season. 
Crossing  the  bed  of  the  Zeinderood  by  the 
fine  bridge  before  described,  we  continued 
our  course  southerly,  having  Julfa  and  the 
mountain  of  the  fire  temple  on  our  right ; 
and  passed  through  a  mean  but  extensive 
burying-ground,  where  a  party  of  females 
were  uttering  their  lamentations  over  a  new- 
made  grave.* 

In  about  an  hour  we  had  gained  a  line  of 
small  hills,  in  one  of  the  passes  through  which 
we  filled  our  water-skins  at  an  enclosed  spring? 
as  we  learned  that  there  was  no  water  on  the 
road  before  us.  From  this  spot  we  enjoyed 
a  last  view  of  Ispahan,  which  from  this  ele- 
vated point,  and  during  the  freshness  of  the 
morning,  looked  indescribably  beautiful. 

It  was  here  that  our  friends  quitted  us  to 
return  to  the  city.  The  grasp  of  my  coun- 
tryman was  warm  and  cordial ;  and  the  ex- 
pressions of  the  young  Mohammed  Hassan 

*  This  is  a  very  ancient  custom.  We  read  of  the  hired 
mourners  for  the  dead  in  the  Scriptures.  Herodotus  describes 
the  practice  as  prevalent  in  ancient  Egypt.  And  Herbert  has 
the  following  mention  of  it  in  his  day  in  Persia  : — 

'  Their  marriages  have  not  much  ceremony,  poligamy  is  tole- 
rable.    Their  burials  are  exactly   performed  by  hired  women, 


424  DEPARTURE    FROM    ISPAHAN. 

were  as  kind  as  when  we  parted  before  at 
the  Khan  of  Chal  Seeah;  thougli  he  said  he 
had  thanked  God  a  thousand  times  already, 
and  should  continue  to  do  so  all  hfe  life, 
for  our  having  so  unexpectedly  passed  ten 
days  together,  after  what  both  had  thought 
a  final  separation. 

On  clearing  the  ridge  of  hills,  we  came 
out  on  an  extensive  plain,  on  the  left  of 
which  villages,  gardens,  and  the  large  circular 
buildings  for  pigeons,  before  described,  occu- 
pied a  line  of  several  miles.  In  the  way 
through  this,  we  passed  some  ruined  build- 
ings ;  and  at  its  extremity  we  came  to  a  steep 
road,  cut  up  over  a  bed  of  rock,  with  some 
deserted  huts  at  the  top. 

As  it  was  now  near  noon,  we  alighted  to 
refresh.      The  character  of  the  stone  com- 

who  for  five  hours  space,  scratch  their  ugly  faces,  howl  bit- 
terly, tear  their  false  hair,  swoon  and  counterfeit  sorrow  abomi- 
nably: these  their  ejaculations  continue  till  his  placing  in  the 
grave,  which  is  after  they  have  washed  him,  (for  they  think 
purification  in  life  and  death  is  very  necessary,)  they  perfume 
him,  wrap  him  in  fine  linen,  bid  him  commend  them  to  all 
their  friends,  lay  him  with  his  head  to  Medina  Talnabi,  place 
him  where  never  any  was  formerly  buried,  (because  they  think 
it  an  extreme  injury  to  molest  the  bones  of  such  as  sleep,)  place 
two  stones  writ  with  Arabic  letters,  to  signify  his  lodging,  its 
length  and  breadth,  then  bid  farewell/     Page  168. 


DEPARTURE    FROM    ISPAHAN.  425 

posing  the  hills  here,  was  different  from  that 
we  had  seen  before,  being  hard,  close-grained, 
of  a  chocolate-brown  colour,  placed  in  hori- 
zontal layers,  of  nearly  equal  thickness,  and 
disposed  to  divide  in  oblong  squares.  The 
last  slate  we  had  seen  was  on  the  first  low 
ridge  of  hills,  where  we  filled  our  supply  of 
water  for  the  journey :  this,  too,  was  of  a 
brownish  colour,  and  disposed  to  divide  per- 
pendicularly, in  square  pillars  ;  thus  differ- 
ing from  the  blue  slate  between  Ispahan 
and  Hamadan,  which  separated  in  horizontal 
plates. 

At  this  pass  there  was  a  small  custom- 
house for  taking  account  of  the  entry  and 
departure  of  goods  from  Ispahan,  but  not  for 
receiving  the  duties.  On  the  right,  in  a 
plain,  were  seen  some  villages,  but  the  general 
character  of  the  prospect  was  dull  and  bar- 
ren, with  dry  plains,  and  ridges  of  mountains 
perfectly  bare,  and  of  very  broken  and  point- 
ed summits. 

When  we  mounted  and  continued  our 
way,  our  course  lay  first  south-west,  and  then 
south-south-east,  but  was  on  the  whole  nearly 
south  ;  and  after  passing  some  walls  of  gar- 
dens and  small  villages,  now  deserted  from 


426  VILLAGE    OF     MAYAR. 


1 


want  of  water,  we  arrived  about  an  hour  and 
a  half  before  sunset  at  the  village  of  Mayar, 
which  is  esteemed  nine  fursucks  from  Ispa- 
han, from  whence  we  had  been  travelling  ten 
good  hours,  at  a  quick  walking  pace. 

This  village,  which  is  seated  in  a  narrow 
defile  of  the  plain,  between  bare  hills,  is 
small,  and  almost  totally  ruined,  there  being 
now  only  a  few  gardens  with  their  occupiers 
there.  An  excellent  caravansera,  of  a  more 
highly-finished  kind  than  we  had  yet  seen 
in  the  country,  on  the  public  road,  is  also 
abandoned,  and  going  fast  to  decay  ;  but  as 
it  offered  us  the  temporary  shelter  we  re- 
quired, we  halted  here  for  the  night. 

Oct.  15th. — While  we  were  preparing  to 
move  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  the 
attention  of  the  Dervish  was  attracted  by  the 
sight  of  a  Persian  stanza  inscribed  on  the 
brick-wall  of  the  recess  in  front  of  our  cham- 
ber. Some  sorrowing  lover  had  probably 
written  it,  under  the  warm  recollections  of 
his  mistress  ;  and  Ismael,  whom  it  powerfully 
reminded  of  his  young  lover  at  Bagdad,  was 
moved  to  a  degree  of  feeling  which  I  was 
still  unable  to  comprehend.  The  Persian 
verse,  as  far  as  he  was  able  to  interpret  it  in 


PERSIAN    INSCRIPTION.  427 

Arabic,  expressed  the  following  lamentation  : 
— '  When  the  remembrance  of  thee  steals 
into  my  heart,  like  a  spy  in  the  night,  tears 
of  water  first  flow  from  my  eyes  ;  but  these 
soon  give  place  to  tears  of  blood.'  After  re- 
peating the  verse  in  Persian  aloud  for  several 
times,  and  evidently  with  a  high  degree  of 
admiration,  and  looking  alternately  at  the 
writing  and  at  me,  he  exclaimed,  '  Ah  !  how 
hard  it  is  to  have  one's  heart  divided  be- 
tween Philosophy  and  Love  !  The  first  would 
make  me  your  disciple  and  your  follower 
throughout  the  world  ;  but  the  last — yes  !  it 
cannot  be  otherwise, — that  will  make  me 
abandon  all  my  dreams  of  wisdom  and  per- 
fection, and  hasten  my  return  to  the  young 
Elias,  the  moment  that  you  embark  upon  the 
ocean  for  India.'  —  '  Al  UUah,'  '  It  is  with 
God,'  I  replied  ;  and  the  Dervish  repaired 
with  sorrow  to  his  labours. 

We  departed  from  Mayar  soon  after  sun- 
rise, and  went  south-easterly  across  a  desert 
and  gravelly  plain.  Our  course  gradually 
turned  more  to  the  southward,  and  was 
nearly  south-south-east  throughout  the  whole. 
The  character  of  the  country  was  exactly 
similar  to  that  over  which  we  had  passed  on 


428  '      SEPUI.CHIIE    OF    SHAH    RESA. 

the  preceding  day:  flat  and  barren  plains, 
bounded  by  ridges  of  bare  rocky  mountains, 
with  a  few  deserted  villages  and  caravanseras 
seen  in  different  directions,  and  no  water. 
Our  whole  distance  was  six  fursucks,  accord- 
ing to  report,  which  we  rode  in  about  seven 
hours,  as  it  was  full  an  hour  past  noon  when 
we  entered  Komeshae. 

At  the  distance  of  a  mile  before  we  reach- 
ed this  place,  we  came  on  the  ruins  of  a 
deserted  village,  where  there  were  now  only 
a  few  gardens  artificially  watered,  several 
large  pigeon  towers  like  those  at  Ispahan, 
and  an  extensive  burying-ground.  The  prin- 
cipal object  visible  in  this  last,  was  a  large 
tomb,  crowned  by  a  cupola  rising  from  amidst 
trees,  and  standing  at  the  foot  of  a  rocky 
mountain,  its  sacred  precincts  being  marked 
by  an  enclosing  wall.  As  this  was  close  to 
the  high  road,  we  alighted  here,  under  pre- 
tence of  reposing  for  a  moment  in  the  shade ; 
the  sun  being  powerfully  hot  in  the  parched 
plain  near,  and  a  dead  calm  prevailing.  We 
found  at  the  place  a  troop  of  Persian  sol- 
diers, who  had  made  it  their  quarters  as 
they  halted  on  their  march  from  Shiraz  to 
Ispahan   with   public  money,  under   escort. 


SEPULCHRE    OF    SHAH   REZA.  429 

These  were  dressed  in  the  usual  costume  of 
the  country,  but  they  had  each  an  English 
musket,  with  the  East  India  Company's  mark, 
and  wore  a  double  cross-^belt,  with  a  large 
black  cartouch-box  on  the  right,  and  a  bay- 
onet on  the  left  side,  as  by  English  soldiers. 
These  men  at  first  insolently  objected  to 
our  entry ;  but  as  we  assured  them  that 
the  only  object  of  our  journey  through 
Persia  was  to  visit  the  tombs  of  the  vene- 
rated champions  of  the  Faith,  adding  all  we 
knew  of  the  tomb  of  Imaum  Hussein  at  Ker- 
bela,  Imaum  Moosa  at  Bagdad,  and  Imaum 
Reza  at  Mushed,  we  were  ourselves  almost 
venerated  as  holy  personages,  and  suffered 
without  a  murmur  to  pass  on. 

This  sepulchre  is  that  of  Shah  Reza, — a 
name  given  to  one  of  the  sons  of  the  Imaum 
Moosa,  whose  father  is  said  to  have  had 
three  hundred  wives,  at  different  times  and 
places,  and  upwards  of  a  thousand  children  ! 
No  particulars  were  stated  to  us  of  the  life 
or  death  of  this  branch  of  so  holy  and  pro- 
lific a  root ;  those  around  us  being  quite  as 
ignorant  as  ourselves  on  these  points.  The 
garden  in  which  his  tomb  was  seated  was 
exceedingly   pretty,   and    contained    several 


430  SEPULCHRE    OF    SHAH    REZA. 

other  buildings,  fqr  the  accommodation  of  vi- 
sitors as  well  as  attendants.  In  the  centre 
of  the  upper  court  was  a  large  square  cistern 
of  solid  masonry,  filled  with  clear  water  from 
running  streams  ;  and  on  the  surface  of  this 
swam  a  proud  and  favoured  drake,  followed 
by  his  harem  of  seven  milk-white  ducks,  the 
only  birds  of  the  kind  I  had  seen  since  leav- 
ing India,  and  kept  here  as  if  in  token  of  the 
kind  of  fame  which  the  father  of  the  deceased 
enjoyed  in  the  number  of  his  wives  and  chil- 
dren. In  another  part  of  this  court  was  a 
cistern  of  crystal  water,  in  which  were  kept 
some  hundreds  of  fish,  as  at  Orfah,  Tripoly, 
and  other  places  near  particularly  sacred 
spots  ;  and  as  at  these,  they  were  here  suf- 
fered to  procreate  their  species,  ad  infinitum^ 
without  any  preventing  cause,  being  never 
disturbed,  always  abundantly  watered,  and 
constantly  well  fed.  The  earliest  of  the  di- 
vine precepts,  "  Increase  and  multiply,"  had 
been  not  onlj  well  observed  by  the  family 
of  the  honoured  saint,  but  seemed  also  to 
be  encouraged,  as  much  as  possible,  in  others, 
by  the  examples  which  struck  the  eye  of 
every  visitor  to  his  tomb. 

The  sepulchre  had  very  little  of  grandeur: 


SEPULCHRE    OF    SHAH    REZA.  431 

a  large  square  room,  ascended  to  by  a  flight 
of  steps,  and  covered  by  a  dome,  contained  in 
its  centre  an  oblong  sanctuary,  arched  over 
at  the  top,  within  which  the  ashes  of  Reza 
were  enclosed  in  a  smaller  case.  The  tomb 
within  was  covered  with  offerings  of  silver 
candlesticks,  dishes,  gauze  handkerchiefs,  tas- 
sels, and  trinkets,  heaped  in  confusion  one 
upon  another.  The  brass  bar-work  of  the 
outer  cage  was  finely  executed,  in  the  close 
hollow  fabric  of  a  diagonal  netting,  the  brass 
rods  nearly  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  the 
squares  between  them  about  the  same  size, 
the  whole  being  equal  to  any  thing  of  the 
kind  that  I  had  ever  seen  in  Europe  or  else- 
where. On  the  side  of  this  work  which  faced 
the  entrance,  were  hung  two  or  three  paltry 
looking-glasses,  and  some  written  tablets  in 
Arabic ;  small  carpets  were  spread  over  the 
whole,  and  printed  cotton  cloths  and  shawls 
were  hung  around  the  interior  of  the  dome, 
like  the  trophies  of  our  naval  victories  be- 
neath the  dome  of  St.  Paul's  in  London. 
A  profusion  of  smaller  offerings,  left  by  visi- 
tors to  propitiate  some  vow,  was  suspended 
in  all  directions;  but  as  we  were  unprepared 
for  this  act  of  piety,  we  departed  from  the 


432  STATUE. 

shrine  without   leaving   even   a   tribute  be- 
hind us. 

On  quitting  the  tomb  of  Shah  Reza,  we 
passed  through  the  remainder  of  the  bury- 
ing-ground  in  which  it  stands.  The  tombs 
were  all  Mohammedan,  though  some  were  of 
a  very  early  age ;  and  their  general  character 
was  that  of  oblong  blocks  of  stone,  about 
the  common  size  of  a  coffin,  laid  on  the  grave, 
with  the  inscription,  chiefly  in  Arabic,  on  the 
upper  surface.  They  were  invariably  flat, 
which  forms  a  characteristic  difference  from 
the  tombs  of  the  Soonnees,  whom  the  Sheeahs 
accuse  of  heresy  in  making  the  tops  of  their 
sepulchres  pointed  and  round. 

It  was  amidst  these  tombs  that  we  saw 
the  rude  statue  of  an  animal,  as  like  a  lion 
as  any  thing  else,  but  almost  equally  resem- 
bling any  other  four-footed  beast.  There 
are  several  similar  ones  at  Hamadan,  Gool- 
pyegan,  and  Ispahan,  standing  in  different 
parts  of  these  towns.  The  statue  at  this 
place  was  now  thrown  down,  and  lying  on 
its  side  in  the  high  road ;  though,  from  its 
being  the  only  one  we  could  hear  of  near  the 
spot,  it  is  likely  to  have  been  the  same  as  that 
noted  by  Mr.  Morier,  on  one  of  the  tombs 


TOWN    OF    KOMESHAE.  43S 

near  ;  and  thought  by  him  to  be  of  very 
great  antiquity.  This  lion,  for  such  it  was 
most  probably  intended  to  represent,  had  a 
naked  sword  sculptured  along  the  side  that 
lay  uppermost,  and  on  its  blade  were  two 
lengthened  circles,  in  the  form  of  a  Roman  O. 
Mr.  Niebuhr,  in  his  description  of  the  gym- 
nastic exercises  at  Shiraz,  in  the  public- 
houses  called  Surshore,  says,  that  the  cham- 
pion in  these  feats  of  strength  is  allowed  to 
put  a  lion  on  his  tomb  ;  and  tells  a  story  of 
his  mistake  in  this  respect,  on  seeing  lions 
on  tombs,  near  that  place,  (p.  143).  This 
statue  was  therefore  probably  one  that  de- 
corated the  grave  of  some  such  champion 
who  had  died  here,  and  might  have  been  of 
comparatively  recent  date,  as  its  form  was  of 
the  rudest  kind,  and  its  whole  appearance 
that  of  a  work  from  a  modern  Mohammedan 
artist. 

After  leaving  this  place,  we  entered  the 
town  of  Komeshae  by  a  mean  gate  ;  the  place 
being  encompassed  by  a  wall  of  brick,  coated 
with  mud,  of  moderate  height,  strengthened 
by  circular  bastions,  and  having  a  dry  ditch 
on  the  north  side.  The  interior  showed  a 
series  of  new  dwellings,  raised  on  the  ruins  of 

VOL.  I.  2  Y 


434  MISERY    OF    THE    INHABITANTS. 

older  ones ;  and  after  passing  through  a  line 
of  roofed  bazaars,  we  alighted  at  a  small  ca- 
ravansera  there. 

The  town  of  Komeshae  is  about  the  size 
of  Goolpyegan ;  but  more  than  half  the 
buildings  included  within  its  walls,  are 
abandoned  and  in  ruins.  Among  them  are 
seen  several  large  edifices,  probably  the 
dwellings  of  governors  at  different  times  ; 
and  two  mosques,  a  public  bath,  and  closed 
bazaars,  are  left  to  testify  that  the  former 
population  of  the  town  was  greater  than  at 
present,  there  being  now  scarcely  five  hun- 
dred resident  inhabitants. 

We  found  here  more  general  misery  from 
want,  than  we  had  seen  elsewhere ;  there 
being,  first,  an  absolute  scarcity  of  all  the 
necessaries  of  life;  and  next,  an  incapacity 
among  the  people  to  purchase  what  little 
there  was,  from  their  extreme  poverty,  and 
the  high  price  of  every  thing.  Though 
mendicants  are  far  from  numerous  in  those 
parts  of  Persia  through  which  we  had  pass- 
ed, there  were  not  less  than  fifty  persons,  old 
and  young,  who  crowded  round  us  in  the 
khan,  soliciting  for  God's  sake  a  morsel  of 
bread  to  save  them  from  starving.     It  was 


ARRIVAL    OF    A    CARAVAN.  435 

SO  dear,  that  our  funds  seemed  hardly 
likely  to  last  long  enough  to  purchase  suffi- 
cient food  for  ourselves  and  our  horses  as  far 
as  Shiraz;  but  it  was  impossible  to  shut  one's 
heart  against  the  claims  of  real  want,  and  we 
therefore  purchased  and  distributed  bread 
among  these  miserable  and  desponding  sup- 
plicants, who  loaded  us  with  blessings  in 
return. 

In  the  evening  a  caravan  arrived  from 
Pars,  laden  with  grain,  on  its  way  to  Ispa- 
han ;  and  though  there  were  at  least  two 
hundred  persons  accompanying  it,  most  of 
whom  were  armed,  and  about  three  hundred 
mules  and  horses,  they  had  not  been  able  to 
protect  themselves  from  attacks  on  the  way. 
The  want  of  rain  had  been  so  universally 
felt  over  the  country,  that  men  were  tempted 
to  acts  of  desperation  to  supply  the  cravings 
of  hunger.  This  caravan  had  been  attacked 
by  a  party  of  nearly  a  hundred  horsemen, 
who  in  a  skirmish  had  killed  two  of  the 
mule-drivers,  and  succeeded  in  carrying  off 
about  thirty  laden  animals,  the  rest  escaping 
by  closer  union,  when  the  danger  of  their 
scattered  mode  of  travelling  had  been  thus 
made  apparent.     This  horde  of  robbers  was 

2  F  2 


436  HORDE    OF    ROBBERS. 

said  to  have  been  Bactiari,  a  name  given 
to  a  race  of  people,  springing  from  Persians, 
Arabs,  and  Koords,  who  live  in  tents,  and 
range  the  valleys  in  the  tract  between  this 
and  Shooster,— speaking  a  mixed  dialect  of 
all  these  three  languages,  in  which  the  Koor- 
dish  is  predominant,  and  acknowledging  only 
the  leaders  of  their  respective  tribes.  Elated 
by  their  success,  they  had  also  carried  off  the 
flocks  of  some  of  the  villages  in  their  way; 
as  in  their  own  parched  domains  their  grain 
had  failed  them,  and  their  own  herds  de- 
clined for  want  of  water  and  pasture  to  sub- 
sist on.  A  hundred  stories  were  told  us  of 
small  robberies  committed  by  the  distressed 
peasants  of  the  villages  near  the  road,  on  un- 
wary passengers,  from  mere  want ;  and  every 
voice  was  raised  against  our  proceeding  alone, 
as  we  professed  we  intended  to  do :  but, 
conceiving  that  there  might  be  as  much 
safety  in  our  own  party  as  in  a  larger  one, 
since  we  had  seen  that  numbers  were  not 
always  a  sure  protection^  and  above  all,  since 
it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to  support  a 
long  delay,  and  no  one  knew  when  a  caravan 
would  overtake  us,  I  determined  to  go  on, 
against  the  inclination  of  the  Dervish,  and 


DEPARTURE    FROM    KOMESHAE.  437 

the  remonstrances  of  all  who  attempted  to 
advise  us. 

Oct.  16th. — The  scene  of  yesterday  was 
again  repeated,  almost  before  it  was  day- 
light :  on  one  hand,  a  crowd  of  supplicants 
for  bread;  on  another,  men  accusing  us  of 
want  of  common  prudence,  and  prognosti- 
cating our  certain  pillage  or  death. 

When  the  sun  rose,  however,  we  burst 
through  both  these  obstacles,  and  set  out  from 
Komeshae  alone.  Going  out  of  the  eastern 
gate,  and  continuing  for  about  half  an  hour 
in  that  direction,  our  road  turned  to  the 
southward,  and  led  along  the  foot  of  a  high 
and  bare  range  of  mountains  to  the  east. 
On  our  right  we  had  a  deep  plain,  bounded 
on  the  west  by  a  similar  range  of  hills,  and 
about  ten  or  twelve  miles  wide.  It  appeared 
to  be  of  unusual  fertility,  though  it  was  now 
sparingly  watered  by  some  small  streams,  all 
the  other  channels  being  perfectly  dry.  Along 
the  centre  of  this  plain  was  seen  a  line  of 
villages  and  gardens,  continuing  for  several 
miles  to  the  southward,  as  well  as  some 
others  at  its  western  extremity ;  but  most  of 
these  were  said  to  have  been  lately  abandon- 
ed,  from  want  of  water ;  and  indeed  most 


438  MUKSOOD    BEGGY. 

of  those  near  which  we  passed  were  deserted 
and  in  ruins. 

Our  road  over  this  plain  lay  about  south- 
east by  south,  and  at  noon  we  reached  the 
small  station  of  Muksood  Beggy.  A  large 
caravan  from  Shiraz,  going  to  Ispahan,  escort- 
ed by  a  troop  of  soldiers,  had  made  their  halt 
here,  and  every  place  of  shelter  was  fully 
occupied  by  them.  We  were  treated,  indeed, 
with  the  greatest  insolence  by  the  soldiery, 
for  daring  even  to  make  an  enquiry  about  a 
place  either  for  ourselves  or  horses,  while 
they  occupied  the  station.  We  were  there- 
fore contented  to  halt  for  half  an  hour  be- 
neath the  shade  of  a  tree,  near  a  small  stream 
of  almost  stagnant  water,  at  which,  however, 
our  horses  drank,  while  we  reposed ;  after 
which,  we  again  set  out  on  our  way. 

Our  course  continued  in  nearly  the  same 
direction  as  before ;  but  the  plain  had  now 
changed  from  a  light  fertile  soil  to  a  gravelly 
and  barren  one,  scantily  spread  with  tufts  of 
a  thick  wild  grass,  on  which  a  few  flocks  of 
sheep  were  seen  feeding.  Not  a  village  now 
appeared  throughout  our  way,  until  after 
about  four  hours  travelling  we  arrived  at  a 
small  place  called  Ammeenabad.    It  was  just 


UNEXPECTED    INTERVIEW.  439 

before  our  entering  this  that  we  met  three 
men  on  foot,  coming  towards  us ;   and  our 
suspicions  were  at  first  excited  by  seeing  so 
small  a  number  travelling  alone.    When  they 
approached  us  nearer,  however,  Ismael  leaped 
from  his  horse,  and  embraced  one  of  them 
with  all  the  fondness  of  a   brother.     They 
kissed  each  other  on  both  sides  of  the  cheek, 
drew  aside,  embraced,  and  kissed  again  for 
several  times,  before  a  word  was  spoken  ;  and 
then  the  first  words  were,  '  Ya  Ismael !  Ya 
Hassan !  Ya  Ullah !'  and  a  thousand  impa- 
tient enquiries  followed.     This  Hassan  was  a 
young  man   from  a  town  in  Mazanderaun, 
who  had   been    known   to   the    Dervish  for 
many  years,  and  had  often  been  the  compa- 
nion of  his  pleasures  in  many  places,  but  par- 
ticularly at  Bagdad,  Moosul,  and  among  the 
mountains  of  Koordistan.     He  possessed  an 
extraordinary  talent  as  a  fine  writer,  and  his 
occupation  was  that  of  executing  sentences 
and  tablets  for  particular  purposes,  and  tran- 
scribing copies   of  the  Koran.     His  leading 
passion  was  like  that  of  Ismael,  to  roam  from 
place  to  place,  and  enjoy  every  species  of  for- 
bidden pleasure  ;  and  like  him,  too,  he  could 
earn  by  his   skill  a   sufficient   sum  in  four 


440  SAADI,    THE    PERSIAN    POET. 

months  to  support  him  in  idleness  and  dis- 
sipation for  the  remaining  eight  of  the  year. 
Some  of  his  best  copies  of  the  Koran  were 
sold,  as  I  was  assured,  for  more  than  two 
hundred  tomauns,  (about  ^00/.  sterling ;)  but 
he  executed  none,  even  in  his  plainest  way, 
under  fifty ;  so  that  his  gains  might  well  be 
considerable.  He  had  recently  been  at  Shi- 
raz  for  three  months,  and  intended  passing 
the  winter  at  Ispahan.  Like  the  Dervish, 
his  friend,  he  was  poorly  dressed,  and  tra- 
velled always  on  foot ;  for  the  sake,  as  he 
said,  of  having  less  cares,  and  being  more 
at  ease  to  follow  any  capricious  inclination 
which  might  seize  him  on  the  way.  His 
ready  money  he  generally  disposed  of  for 
an  order,  or  letter  of  credit,  on  some  one  in 
the  town  to  which  he  was  going,  that  he 
might  be  more  at  peace  and  free  from  appre- 
hension of  robbery  on  the  road.  He  illus- 
trated the  benefit  of  such  a  practice  by  an 
anecdote  of  Saadi,  the  great  Persian  poet  and 
moralist,  the  sense  of  which  was  as  follows  ; — 
"  Saadi,  journeying  on  the  road,  in  posses- 
sion of  a  small  sum  of  money,  had  for  his 
companions  some  wealthy  merchants,  who 
carried  with  them   a  considerable  treasure. 


SAADI,    THE    PERSIAN    POET.  441 

They  were  in  continual  alarm  for  fear  of 
robbers,  while  the  philosopher  was  perfectly 
at  ease.  The  merchants,  observing  the  tran- 
quillity of  their  poor  comrade,  were  a  good 
deal  surprised,  and  still  more  so  when  he 
oifered  to  propose  to  them  a  certain  remedy 
for  their  fears.  They  impatiently  demanded 
to  know  it :  '  Throw  away,'  said  the  mo- 
ralist, '  that  for  which  it  is  excited,  and  you 
will  be  as  much  at  ease  as  I  am.'  They 
could  not  be  prevailed  on  to  do  this ;  but 
proceeding  a  little  further,  they  overtook  a 
man  asleep,  in  the  middle  of  the  road. — 
'  What !'  said  they,  rousing  him  from  his 
slumber,  '  do  you  dare  to  repose  here,  in  a 
road  beset  with  dangers  on  every  side  ?' 
'  Why,'  replied  the  stranger,  '  I  am  perfectly 
at  ease,  for  I  have  nothing  to  lose  ;'  and 
turning  on  his  side,  sunk  to  sleep  again. 
This  was  so  forcible  an  illustration  of  the 
advice  they  had  received,  that  they  acknow- 
ledged the  justice  of  the  poet's  maxim : 
'  But,'  said  Hassan,  '  as  the  greater  part  of 
mankind  are  content  to  admire  good  advice 
without  following  it,  the  story  does  not  add 
whether  the  merchants  acted  upon  that 
which  they  both  heard  and  saw,  or  not.' " 


442  VILLAGE    OF    AMMEENABAD. 

We  were  detained,  but  most  agreeably, 
for  nearly  an  hour  on  our  road  by  this  in- 
cident ;  and  the  parting  of  these  two  friends, 
who  had  so  unexpectedly  met,  was  quite  as 
full  of  feeling  as  their  first  interview. 

The  village  of  Ammeenabad,  where  we 
made  our  halt,  is  very  small,  and  has  only  a 
few  gardens,  and  these  but  recently  enclosed. 
There  is  a  small  but  neat  caravansera,  of  an 
octangular  shape,  with  all  the  usual  accom- 
modations for  strangers,  and  well  built ;  but 
having  now  no  keeper  of  any  kind,  it  is 
going  fast  to  decay.  It  appears  to  have  been 
at  one  period  converted  into  a  castle,  as  stone 
walls  and  circular  towers  were  added  to  the 
original  brick  work.  The  ruins  of  a  larger 
and  older  khan  are  seen  near  it ;  and  before 
the  present  one  is  a  square  reservoir,  lined 
with  stone,  for  water.  A  flight  of  descend- 
ing steps  is  seen  just  beyond  it,  over  the 
entrance  to  which  are  painted  two  standing 
lions,  guarding  a  sun  between  them ;  having, 
probably,  some  reference  to  the  ancient  arms 
of  Persia,  a  lion  with  the  sun  rising  behind 
it,  as  still  seen  in  some  of  the  gardens  and 
public  places  at  Ispahan. 

Oct.  17th. — Leaving  Ammeenabad  at  sun- 


ARRIVAL    AT    YEZDIKHAUST.  443 

rise,  we  went  south-south-east,  over  a  barren 
plain,  having  ranges  of  mountains  in  view 
on  all  sides,  but  generally  lower,  of  a  whiter 
hue,  and  of  less  broken  forms  than  before. 
This  character  of  the  country  continued  all 
the  way  through  our  morning's  route,  in 
which  we  saw  only  a  few  ruined  and  deserted 
khans  and  private  dwellings,  until  we  reached 
the  station  of  Yezdikhaust,  in  about  four 
hours  after  our  setting  out. 

The  approach  to  this  place  is  marked  by  a 
domed  building  of  yellow  brick,  the  tomb  of 
an  Imaum  Zade,  and  the  place  on  which  it 
stands  is  called  Ali-abad.  Among  the  hum- 
bler graves  which  surround  it,  we  noticed 
the  rude  figure  of  a  lion,  still  standing  in  its 
original  position  over  one  of  them,  and  re- 
sembling exactly  the  fallen  one  near  the  se- 
pulchre of  Shah  Rezah,  and  the  others  noted 
in  the  large  towns  on  our  way. 

From  our  first  seeing  Yezdikhaust,  it  ap- 
peared to  us  to  be  seated  on  the  plain ;  but 
on  drawing  near,  we  found  it  to  be  built 
on  a  sort  of  high  and  steep-clifFed  island,  in 
the  middle  of  a  deep  ravine,  which  had  every 
appearance  of  having  been  once  the  bed  of  a 
large  river.     The  walls  of  the  houses  were 


444  SITUATION    OF    YEZDIKHAUST. 

carried  up  in  a  perpendicular  line  with  the 
cliiF  of  the  mass  on  which  they  stood,  and 
many  of  their  tops  were  at  least  one  hundred 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  dry  bed  below. 
This  mass  seemed  to  be  about  five  hundred 
yards  in  length,  and  not  more  than  a  third 
of  that  in  breadth,  the  whole  of  its  surface 
being  covered  with  buildings.  To  complete 
the  isolated  nature  of  the  situation,  the  only 
passage  into  the  town  was  at  the  south-west 
end,  and  this  was  over  a  plank,  leading  from 
a  high  piece  of  ground  to  the  gate,  which 
could  be  removed  at  pleasure,  and  thus  leave 
a  deep  ditch  of  defence.  This  had  been 
once,  no  doubt,  a  castle,  judging  from  the 
appearance  of  the  work  at  this  point  of  en- 
trance ;  and  it  then  had  a  small  town  seated 
around  its  foot,  the.  ruined  and  abandoned 
dwellings  of  which  are  still  to  be  seen  in  the 
valley  below.  In  the  cliffs  of  the  supposed 
river's  bed,  on  each  side,  and  opposite  to  the 
town,  are  a  number  of  caverns,  probably  used 
for  sheltering  flocks,  though  sometimes  also, 
no  doubt,  for  human  habitations.  The  soil 
of  this  insulated  mass,  as  seen  in  its  perpen- 
dicular side,  is  a  light  coloured  earth,  with 
a  mixture  of  broken  stones,  and  the  bottom 


INHABITANTS    OF    YEZDIKHAUST.  445 

a  hard  rock.  The  soil  continues  nearly  half- 
way down  to  the  base,  and  I  thought  I  could 
perceive  the  mark  of  a  water-line  along  its 
surface,  though  it  must  have  been  long  since 
any  water  flowed  so  high,  at  least  anterior  to 
the  existence  of  the  ruined  buildings  now 
seen  in  the  valley  below. 

The  number  of  dwellings  in  Yezdikhaust 
does  not  exceed  a  hundred  and  fifty,  and  the 
inhabitants  are  reckoned  at  about  six  hundred. 
As  they  are  within  the  territory  of  Fars,  this 
being  the  first  town  after  leaving  the  pro- 
vince of  Irak,  they  are  tributary  to  the  go- 
vernment of  Shiraz.  The  strength  of  their 
situation  makes  them,  however,  insolent,  and 
difficult  to  be  kept  in  order  ;  and,  like  all 
lovers  of  freedom,  they  have  the  character  of 
a  ferocious  and  lawless  band.  Their  houses 
present  a  very  singular  appearance,  with  their 
numerous  apertures  of  doors  and  windows, 
and  wooden  balconies  hanging  over  the  per- 
pendicular cliffs.  When  we  passed  beneath 
them,  they  were  filled  with  women,  all  un- 
veiled,— a  sight  which  we  had  not  before 
witnessed  in  any  part  of  Persia.  They  were, 
moreover,  very  familiar  and  communicative ; 
some    enquiring    from    whence    we    came ; 


446  SUSPICION   OF    THE    SOLDIERY. 

others  abusing  us  in  a  loud  voice  as  spies  of 
the  Bactiari  ;  and  most  of  them  assuring  us 
that  we  should  be  discovered  by  the  soldiers 
in  the  khan. 

After  passing  through  the  valley,  and 
noting  some  garden  lands  near,  with  trees 
and  cultivation  in  the  vale  to  the  north-east 
of  us,  all  watered  by  a  stream  flowing  through 
its  centre,  but  now  nearly  dry,  we  arrived  at 
a  good  caravansera  on  the  opposite  side,  at 
the  foot  of  the  south-eastern  cliff.  It  had  a 
long  Arabic  inscription,  painted  in  white  on  a 
blue  tiled  ground,  over  the  door  ;  and  the 
khan  itself  appeared  to  be  old  and  well-built, 
with  a  round  tower,  like  the  bastion  of  a 
castle,  at  one  of  its  angles. 

We  found  this  place  full  of  soldiers ;  a 
troop  of  whom,  under  the  command  of  a 
Khan,  had  come  thus  far  from  Shiraz  to  scour 
the  road,  of  the  robbers  by  which  it  was  in- 
fested. They  had  been  halting  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood for  several  days,  and  were  to  set 
out  on  their  return  to-morrow.  The  arrival 
of  two  strangers  alone,  dressed  as  Arabs,  and 
both  well-armed,  excited  such  surprise  among 
them,  that  even  before  we  alighted,  we  were 
surrounded  by  a  host  of  enquirers.     All  we 


SUSPICION    OF    THE    SOLDIERY.  447 

could  say,  as  to  the  motive  of  our  not  waiting 
for  a  caravan,  seemed  to  them  improbable  ; 
and  the  general  conclusion  was,  that  we  were 
either  spies  of  the  Bactiari,  from  among  the 
Arabs  about  Shooster,  or  that  we  were  rob- 
bers on  our  own  account,  thinking  to  escape 
suspicion  by  the  boldness  of  our  entry  here. 
We  first  remonstrated^  then  supplicated,  for 
God's  sake,  to  be  left  in  peace,  and  at  last 
were  driven  to  defiance,  which  proved  the 
only  effectual  mode  of  keeping  these  soldiers 
at  a  distance. 

From  Yezdikhaust  there  are  two  roads  to 
Shiraz  ;  the  western  one  being  the  nearest 
and  most  direct,  and  the  eastern,  which  is 
the  longest  and  least  frequented,  going 
through  Murgaub  and  by  Persepolis,  which 
I  was  of  course  desirous  of  visiting.  As  the 
troop  were  to  set  out  to-morrow  for  Shiraz, 
and  we  had  already  confessed  ourselves  des- 
tined for  that  place,  it  was  concluded  that 
we  should  go  with  them.  I  suffered  this  im- 
pression to  remain  undisturbed ;  but  in  our 
enquiries  about  the  eastern  road  by  Choul- 
gistan,  as  we  did  not  know  it  ourselves,  the 
person  who  had  secretly  engaged  to  lead  us 
into  it  during  the  night  betrayed  our  con- 


448  INTERVIEW   WITH    THE    KHAN. 

fidence,  and  the  impression  of  our  being  high- 
waymen was  therefore  complete.  A  party  of 
the  soldiers,  who  occupied  chambers  near  us, 
were  set  as  guards  over  us,  to  see  that  we 
did  not  escape  ;  and  orders  were  issued  from 
their  commander,  to  whom  the  matter  was 
reported,  that  we  should  be  taken  into  safe 
custody,  and  conveyed  with  them  to  Shiraz, 
to  answer  for  ourselves.  This  had  now  be- 
come a  serious  affair,  without  any  apparent 
remedy  ;  for,  though  I  believed  the  disclosure 
of  my  being  an  Englishman,  and  the  sight 
of  the  letters  and  passports  which  Assad 
UUah  Khan  had  procured  me,  in  case  of 
need,  from  the  Governor  of  Ispahan,  would 
have  immediately  liberated  us  ;  yet  I  was  not 
willing  to  betray  too  hastily,  as  an  English- 
man, my  assumption  of  a  character  so  vene- 
rated among  them  as  a  pilgrim  from  the  tomb 
of  their  Prophet. 

After  remaining  some  time  under  arrest, 
I  had  an  invitation  from  the  Khan,  or  chief 
of  the  troops ;  and  on  my  visit  I  found  him 
at  prayers.  Our  first  exchange  of  salutes 
was  friendly  and  cordial :  and  on  my  re- 
proaching his  people  with  want  of  hospitality, 
I  was  invited  by  him  to  sit  down, — was  given 


INTERVIEW    WITH    THE    KHAN.  449 

the  place  of  honour, — and  served  with  ca- 
leoons  and  tea.  The  motive  of  our  journey- 
ing thus  alone  was  then  asked,  and  answered 
satisfactorily.  I  then  entertained  the  chief 
with  a  long  account  of  Massr,  or  Egypt,  my 
supposed  country,  and  particularly  of  the 
great  assemblage  of  pilgrims  who  met  there 
annually  ^  to  proceed  to  Mecca,  and  who 
journeyed  together  without  understanding 
any  more  of  each  other's  language  than  their 
common  profession  of  faith,  '  La  111  ah  ul 
UUah,  oua  Mohammed  el  Russool  Ullah.' — 
'There  is  but  one  God,  and  Mohammed  is 
his  Messenger.'  At  these  words,  the  chief 
bowed  and  kissed  the  earth,  in  which  mark 
of  respect  I  followed  his  example,  and  was 
consequently  taken  to  be  both  learned  and 
pious  in  an  extraordinary  degree.  According 
to  a  very  common  custom  among  Moham- 
medans, a  maxim  was  then  demanded  of  me 
by  the  Khan  for  his  guidance  through  life, 
when  I  replied,  '  Open  not  thine  heart  too 
readily  to  strangers;  neither  let  any  thing 
remain  secret  between  thee  and  thy  friend.' 
This  saying  was  much  approved ;  and  led  to 
my  being  pressed  to  partake  of  an  excellent 
supper,  at  which    I    was   treated   with   the 

VOL.    I.  2  G 


450    DEPARTURE  FROM  YEZDIKHAUST. 

greatest  consideration.  On  my  assigning  to 
the  chief  as  my  motive  for  wishing  to  see 
PersepoHs,  or  the  throne  of  Jemsheed,  the 
admiration  which  I  entertained  for  his  me- 
mory as  an  illustrious  character,  he  offered 
to  be  my  escort  there  with  all  his  troop,  of 
nearly  one  hundred  horsemen ;  saying,  that 
though  this  route  lay  wide  from  his  prescribed 
track,  he  would  do  it  as  a  mark  of  the  high 
respect  he  bore  to  my  wisdom  and  my  virtues. 
It  was  accordingly  determined  that  we  should 
set  out  on  the  morrow,  by  a  middle  path,  to- 
wards Persepolis:  so  entirely  had  a  well- 
timed  display  of  courteous  and  bold  be- 
haviour changed  our  relative  position. 

Oct.  18th. — At  sun-rise  we  quitted  Yez- 
dikhaust,  in  company  with  the  whole  Persian 
troop.  No  one  had  descended  from  the  town 
into  th^  valley  that  surrounds  it,  from  fear 
of  the  soldiery ;  so  that  I  could  learn  nothing 
of  the  deep  well  described  there  by  Le  Brun. 
We  had,  however,  some  of  the  excellent  bread 
of  the  place  brought  out  on  the  plank,  or 
drawbridge  of  entrance ;  and  found  it  better 
than  any  we  had  tasted  in  Persia,  and  fully 
deserving  its  high  reputation. 

About  a  league  from  Yezdikhaust,  going 


SHAH   ABBAS, GOMBEZ    LALA.  451 

southerly,  we  quitted  the  plain,  and  entered 
among  hills,  neither  very  rugged  nor  steep^ 
but  having  a  tolerable  road  over  them.     In 
about  four  hours  we  reached  a  narrow  pass, 
in  which  was  a  small  round  tower,  with  loop- 
holes in  its  walls,  seated  on  an  eminence,  and 
said  to  be  often  occupied  by  robbers.     There 
were  now  stationed  here,  by  Shuker  UUah 
Khan,  the  Persian  chief,  who  rode  with  us  as 
my  new  friend  and  guide,  several  musketeers 
to  guard  this  pass;  though  they  were  some- 
times suspected  of  acting  the  part  of  those 
they  were  sent  here  to  check.     On  the  right 
of  the  road  was  an  old  castle;  and  between 
these  two  buildings  in  the  valley,  a  spring  of 
water  and  grass.     When  we  alighted  here,  I 
was  again  seated  on  the  same  carpet  beside 
the  Khan,    and    served   with    his   caleoons. 
During  our  conversation,  I  learned  from  him 
the  following  account  of  a  small  domed  tomb 
opposite  to  us,  once  covered   with  painted 
tiles,  like  those  at  Ispahan,  but  now  in  ruins. 
'  Shah  Abbas,'  he  said, '  being  at  Shiraz,  wished 
to  go  from  thence  to  Ispahan  in  one  night, 
in  order  to  effect  some  great  purpose,  and 
surpass  even  the  wind  in  speed.     The  best 
horse  of  his  kingdom  was  prepared  for  him, 

2  G  2 


452  SHAH    ABBAS,  —  GOMBEZ    LALA. 

when  one  of  his  slaves  expressed  a  wish  to 
accompany   him.     The   monarch  looked  on 
the  slave  with  contempt,  thinking  no  man 
among  all  his  subjects  was  equal  to  the  task 
he  had  undertaken.     The  slave,  however,  in- 
sisted on  trying,  determining  either  to  suc- 
ceed, or  die  in  the  attempt ;  and  the  monarch, 
at  last,  pleased  with  such  persevering  ambi- 
tion, promised  him  one  of  his  daughters  in 
marriage,    on   the  night  after   their   arrival. 
They  set  out,  and  flew  over  hill  and  dale, 
reaching  this  spot  about  midnight,  without 
exchanging  a  single   word.      The   monarch 
dropping  his  whip,  called  to  his  follower  to 
alight  and  take  it  up  from  the  ground.     The 
faithful  slave  did  so  ;  but  in  the  act  fell  on 
the  earth,  and  expired  on  the  spot,  from  ex- 
cessive exertion.     He  was  accordingly  buried 
here,  and  this  tomb  was  erected  to  his  me- 
mory: from   which  moment  the    place  has 
been  called  Gombez  Lala,  or  the  Tomb  of 
the  Slave.' 

We  soon  re-mounted,  and  proceeding  from 
hence  pursued  a  similar  course.  I  continued 
to  ride  by  the  Khan's  side,  and  to  be  engaged 
in  constant  conversation  with  him;  his  sol- 
diers riding  in  a  body  behind  us.     The  cha- 


DEGERDOO.  453 

racter  of  the  country  now  appeared  to  be 
much  altered  :  instead  of  long  plains  and 
high  ranges  of  broken  hills,  we  had  stony, 
barren,  and  rugged  ground,  with  mountains 
of  more  even  outline  than  before. 

In  four  hours  more  we  came  to  a  small 
station  called  Degerdoo,  containing  only  a  few 
huts,  enclosed  by  square  mud  walls  with  bas- 
tions, and  a  small  caravansera  without.  The 
distance  of  these  stations  was  said  to  be  eight 
fursucks,  which  we  had  come,  for  the  first 
time,  in  an  equal  number  of  hours,  having 
ridden  a  brisk  pace  in  a  large  company. 
There  also  I  shared  the  same  apartment  with 
the  chief,  and  was  treated  with  the  greatest 
respect. 

Oct.  19th. — The  night  was  at  first  cloudy, 
and  threatened  rain,  but  it  afterwards  cleared 
up  :  the  wind,  however,  was  high  from  the 
north-west,  and  after  midnight  it  became 
calm.  There  was  so  hard  a  frost  that  the 
water  in  our  leathern  bottle  was  frozen  in 
our  room,  and  icicles  were  thickly  clustered 
on  it  from  without.  We  were  therefore 
obliged  to  keep  in  large  fires,  for  the  horses, 
who  were  also  all  warmly  clothed  ;  yet  many 
of  them  suffered  greatly  from  the  extreme 


454  DEPARTUllE    FROM    DEGERDOO. 

cold.  By  the  care  of  the  chief,  however,  the 
Dervish  and  myself,  who  shared  his  apart- 
ment, enjoyed  every  comfort. 

Our  next  stage  being  a  long  one,  we  set 
out  three  hours  before  sun-rise,  going  south- 
south-east,  over  uneven  ground,  and  at  day- 
break we  came  to  a  ruined  station  called 
Caravansera  Shah  Sultan  Hussan.  The  cold 
was  as  intense  as  I  had  ever  felt  it,  even  in  a 
North- American  winter :  when  we  alighted, 
we  therefore  kindled  large  fires,  which  blazed 
around  the  horses  and  ourselves,  and  both 
the  animals  and  men  almost  thrust  them- 
selves into  it  to  procure  heat.  The  climate 
of  Persia  is  certainly  in  great  extremes  :  and 
the  story  of  the  death  of  many  individuals 
from  extreme  cold  at  Persepolis,  after  a  feast 
given  by  Alexander,  may  be  readily  believed. 

We  set  out  again  from  this  place  when 
the  sun  rose,  and  went  south-south-east, 
over  more  even  ground,  coming  at  last,  in 
about  two  hours,  on  a  fine  plain,  extend- 
ing in  a  south-east  direction  for  many  days' 
journeys,  though  nowhere  more  than  ten 
miles  wide.  Beyond  the  south-west  range  of 
hills  which  bounded  it,  rose  a  high  ridge  of 
mountains,  all  said  to  be  of  limestone ;  their 


PLAIN   OF   CHEMMEN   ASIPASS.  455 

summits  were  now  covered  with  snow.  This 
mountainous  range  is  called  Kooh  Poosta- 
mar,  and  is  inhabited  by  a  tribe  of  Koords, 
called  Loor,  whose  tract  of  country  is  called 
Chal  Mahar,  and  divides  the  territory  of  the 
Bactiari  from  that  of  Fars.  The  language 
of  these  people  is  different  from  that  of  the 
northern  Koords,  and  is  called,  like  them- 
selves, Loor.  They  live  in  tents,  though  the 
snow  on  their  hills  is  said  to  be  perpetual, 
even  in  the  warmest  years. 

The  plain  in  which  we  now  rode  was  called 
Chemmen  Asipass  ;  it  is  one  of  the  most  fer- 
tile that  is  known,  being  watered  by  many 
streams  from  the  foot  of  the  hills  on  each 
side  of  it ;  and  in  spring  and  summer  it  is 
thickly  covered  by  wandering  tribes  of  Per- 
sians, properly  called  Farsee,  or  people  of 
Fars.  A  few  encampments  were  seen  here 
even  now  ;  but  the  greater  number  of  the 
people  had  gone  with  their  flocks  two  or 
three  days  to  the  eastward,  to  a  tract  oi 
country  called  Gurrumseer,  or  the  warm 
district,  to  avoid  the  excessive  cold  of  this 
region. 

Our  road  now  became  extremely  tortuous, 
as  it  wound  along  the  foot   of  the  south- 


456  KOOSK    ZER. 

western  hills,  which  we  were  obliged  to  fol- 
low, in  order  to  avoid  the  channels  and 
streams  in  the  centre,  these  being  difficult 
to  pass  over  even  now  that  they  were  dry. 
The  general  average  of  our  course  was  about 
south-south-east. 

At  noon  we  reached  a  ruined  caravansera 
called  Koosk  Zer,  said  to  have  been  built 
by  Shah  Abbas,  and  certainly  wrought  with 
more  labour  and  expense  than  any  preced- 
ing one  that  we  had  seen.  The  brick-work 
was  faced  with  large  blocks  of  stone ;  the 
dome  at  the  entrance  was  tiled  ;  and  there 
was  fine  sculptured  frame-work  at  the  gate, 
with  inner  chambers,  and  other  conveniences. 
It  was  of  an  octagonal  form  within,  and  was 
altogether  a  fine  building,  though  it  was  now 
entirely  abandoned. 

We  halted  here  for  half  an  hour,  and  re- 
freshed ourselves  with  lebban  and  milk, 
brought  from  the  Parsee  tents.  The  man- 
ners of  these  people  are  like  those  of  the 
Arabs ;  their  dress,  however,  is  perfectly  Per- 
sian, with  tight  robes  and  black  caps,  and 
their  language  is  a  pure  Persian  also. 

We  went  hence  southerly,  still  on  the 
plain,  and  continuing  to  wind  along  the  foot 


ABARIK.  457 

of  the  south-western  hills.  On  our  left,  to 
the  eastward,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  opposite 
range  of  hills,  or  from  eight  to  nine  miles 
off,  we  saw  a  circular  castle,  with  bastions, 
having  a  small  town  within  it,  called  Niza- 
mabad.  In  this  plain  the  horses  of  the  Per- 
sian army  of  this  part  of  the  country  are  put 
to  grass,  in  spring,  and  it  is  then  covered  with 
tents  and  flocks. 

In  about  four  hours  from  Koosk  Zer  we 
reached  the  station  of  Abarik,  having  come, 
as  yesterday,  eleven  fursucks  in  as  many 
hours,  the  fursuck  being  certainly  about  four 
English  miles.  This  is  a  miserable  place  ; 
a  few  poor  families  only  living  here,  in  a 
walled  village,  and  a  few  empty  huts  are  seen 
without.  Tyranny,  however,  was,  as  usual, 
exercised  to  procure  all  the  comforts  it  con- 
tained for  the  military  chief  and  his  train. 
The  soldiers  of  Persia  never  pay  for  any 
thing  on  a  journey,  and  are,  in  short,  licensed 
robbers.  I  had  a  long  conversation  with  the 
Khan,  on  the  evil  of  this  system,  in  which  he 
frankly  admitted  that  it  was  unjust.  We  had 
a  shower  of  rain  here,  the  wind  being  wes^ 
terly  ;  but  in  the  night  we  were  visited  again 
with  a  severe  frost.     We  were,  however,  well 


458  CAPTURE    OF    ROBBERS. 

fed,  well  clotKed,  and  provided  with  every 
comfort.  Some  of  the  troop  were  sent  out 
to  shoot  pigeons  for  our  supper ;  and  they 
thought  it  hard  service,  as  the  practice  was 
to  select  for  this  duty  those  who  were  not 
favourites,  by  which  it  was  considered  as  a 
sort  of  punishment.  I  advised  the  chief  to 
try  the  effect  of  a  contrary  system,  making 
the  duty  a  sort  of  honorary  distinction,  which 
he  adopted  with  complete  success ;  for  on 
sending  an  order  that  six  of  the  best  shots 
of  his  train  should  go  out  on  this  service, 
there  was  a  contention  between  the  whole 
troop  for  the  honour  of  deserving  this  title. 
I  had  tried  the  experiment  often  at  sea,  by 
inviting  the  smartest  seamen  in  the  ship  to 
lead  the  way  in  some  duty  which  others  had 
imposed  as  a  punishment ;  and  I  never  knew 
any  such  appeal  to  the  pride  and  better  feel- 
ings, even  of  the  commonest  men,  to  fail. 

Oct.  20th. — At  daylight  this  morning,  were 
brought  in,  as  prisoners,  by  our  outscouts, 
twenty-eight  robbers,  all  taken  from  a  vil- 
lage called  Hadjeeabad,  in  the  hills  which 
bounded  the  plain  of  Chemmen  Asipass,  on 
the  south-west,  or  between  it  and  the  moun- 
tains of  the  Chal  Mahar.     These  people  were 


PASS    OF    KOTEL    MADER    E    DOGHTETl.      459 

pure  Persians,  and  their  tribe  are  said  to  be 
great  plunderers.  Among  them  were  three 
with  snow-white  beards,  and  four  or  five  not 
more  than  ten  years  old.  They  were  taken 
in  the  act  of  depredation  by  an  outscout 
party  of  Shuker  Ullah  Khan's  soldiers,  and 
brought  down  here  on  their  way  to  Shiraz 
to  be  executed.  They  were  all  mounted  on 
asses,  and  had  one  leg  placed  in  a  large  log 
of  wood,  like  a  handle  in  the  head  of  a  wooden 
mallet.  They  were,  however,  very  merry, 
and  seemed  quite  indifferent  to  their  fate. 

We  departed  from  hence  at  sunrise,  and 
though  the  robbers  had  travelled  all  the  pre- 
vious night,  they  were  not  allowed  to  rest, 
but  were  taken  away  with  us.  Our  course 
went  still  to  the  eastward  of  south,  and  the 
range  of  hills  on  our  right  now  took  a  more 
easterly  turn.  In  an  hour  and  a  half  after 
our  setting  out,  we  ascended  a  pass  called 
Kotel  Mader  e  Doghter,  or  the  Hill  of  the 
Mother  and  Daughter.  Its  ascent  was  not 
exceedingly  difficult,  though  it  was  necessary 
to  alight  in  consequence  of  the  stony  and 
broken  state  of  the  road.  Men  were  here 
sent  out  on  each  side  to  reconnoitre  ;  and 
this  service  was  again  given  to  those  in  dis- 


460  APPEARANCE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

grace,  who  murmured  at  it  as  a  hardship.  I 
again  proposed  to  the  chief  to  try  the  oppo- 
site course,  by  selecting  the  bravest  and  best 
behaved  of  the  troops  for  the  duty.  The 
men  were  flattered  and  pleased  by  the  pro-r 
posal,  and  the  Khan  was  delighted  at  the  suc- 
cess of  the  experiment.  Our  descent  over 
this  pass  on  the  other  side  was  exceedingly 
difficult :  at  the  foot  of  it  we  entered  a  se- 
cond plain,  lying  east  and  west,  and  equally 
fertile  with  the  former,  but  of  less  extent. 

We  halted  at  a  stream  here,  and  refreshed 
with  the  Khan,  after  which  we  remounted, 
and  went  south-east  for  three  full  hours, 
when  we  came  to  the  foot  of  another  range 
of  hills,  forming  the  southern  boundary  of 
the  plain,  and  going  east  and  west.  The 
hills  were  here  formed  of  limestone  and 
chalk,  with  flint  imbedded.  The  ascent  on 
the  one  side  was  easy,  but  the  descent  on  the 
other  was  particularly  difficult.  The  moun- 
tains here  are  not  so  bare  as  those  in  Irak 
Ajami,  having  stunted  trees  and  brushwood 
on  their  sides.  Fifty  musketeers  were  sta- 
tioned here  in  different  parts,  to  protect  the 
pass.  The  echo  in  this  part  of  the  mountains 
was  very  perfect  and  loud  ;  the  scenery  was 


PASS    OF    KOTEL    IMAUM    ZADE.  461 

wild  and  interesting,  especially  the  view  in 
the  valley  below.  This  pass  is  called  Kotel 
Imaum  Zade,  as  it  leads  down  to  the  village 
of  that  name,  where  we  did  not  arrive  till 
sunset,  though  the  distance  was  said  to  be 
only  nine  fursucks  ;  but  all  our  horses  were 
completely  knocked  up  from  the  fatigue  of 
ascending  and  descending  these  two  hills  ; 
and  the  people  were  also  extremely  fatigued, 
from  having  been  obliged  to  cross  over  them 
on  foot.  The  air  of  this  place  was  warmer 
than  we  had  found  it  since  leaving  Ispahan, 
arising  from  the  closeness  of  the  valley,  and 
from  its  being  on  a  lower  level  than  the  sur- 
rounding country.  The  Dervish  Ismael  was 
charmed  with  the  change  ;  and  finding  his 
spirits  raised,  attributed  it  to  a  certain  virtue 
in  the  earth  and  water  of  the  place,  which  he 
extolled  very  highly. 

At  midnight,  a  courier  arrived  here  from 
Shiraz,  being  one  of  three  sent  on  three  dif- 
ferent roads  to  meet  the  chief,  Shuker  UUah 
Khan.  He  brought  us  an  account  of  the 
Shah  Zade  having  heard  of  a  large  band  of 
Bactiari,  from  two  to  three  hundred,  who 
were  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  attacking 
and    plundering    caravans    passing    through 


462      TAKE  LEAVE  OF  THE  KHAN. 

Fars ;  and  the  courier  delivered  an  order  of 
the  Prince  for  Shuker  UUah  Khan  to  bring 
the  whole  of  this  band  of  robbers  to  him  with 
all  speed.     An  answer  was  immediately  re- 
turned to  the  Prince,  stating  the  fact  of  all 
his   horses   and  men   being   so   worn  down 
by  fatigue,  that  they  would    not  be    equal 
to  the  journey  among  the  mountains,  until 
they  had  enjoyed  a  day  or  two's  repose,  after 
which,  he  would  fly  to  execute  the  wishes  of 
his  master.     We  had  a  long  and  interesting 
conversation    on    our   being    thus  suddenly 
parted,  and  each  expressed  a  hope  of  meet- 
ing again    at   Shiraz.     Notwithstanding  the 
new  demand  on  his  force,  by  the  recent  order 
of  his  Prince,  the  chief  made  me  an  offer  of 
an  escort  from  his  party,  if  I  wished  it,  for 
the  remainder  of  my  way,  but  I  declined  it, 
and  determined  to  proceed  alone. 

Oct.  21st. — We  were  not  suffered  to  de- 
part from  this  station  without  first  break- 
fasting with  the  Khan.  He  expressed  his 
intention  of  going  to  Mecca,  when  he  be- 
came rich  enough  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
a  journey  suited  to  his  rank ;  and  asked  of 
me  all  the  instructions  I  could  give  him 
thereon.    I  found  this  somewhat  difficult,  but 


IMAUM    ZADE.  463 

I  succeeded  in  satisfying  him  on  all  points, 
and  we  parted  excellent  friends. 

The  village  of  Imaum  Zade,  so  called  from 
its  containing  the  domed  sepulchre  of  a  cer- 
tain Ismael,  one  of  the  many  sons  of  the 
many  Imaums  of  Persia,  is  neat  and  com- 
fortable, though  very  small.  Its  situation, 
in  a  deep  and  narrow  valley,  shelters  it  from 
the  keen  air  of  Irak,  and  it  has  water  and 
wood  in  constant  supply.  The  people  are 
more  industrious  than  Persians  usually  are, 
and  parts  of  the  seemingly  inaccessible  sum- 
mits of  the  limestone  mountains  on  each  side 
of  the  valley  are  cultivated  and  planted  with 
gardens  and  vineyards.  There  are  the  re- 
mains of  a  fine  old  caravansera  in  ruins  there, 
so  that  passengers  now  take  shelter  in  the 
villagers'  dwellings  when  they  are  few  in 
number,  and  sleep  without,  if  forming  a  nu- 
merous caravan.  The  dress  of  the  men  of 
Pars  is  similar  to  that  worn  in  Irak : — but 
while  the  women  of  the  latter  envelope 
themselves  in  a  large  blue  chequered  cloth 
and  white  veil,  these  throw  a  white  handker- 
chief over  their  heads,  which,  falling  down 
the  neck,  leaves  the  face  quite  open. 

It  was  two  hours  past  sun-rise  when  we 


464  APPEARANCE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

set  out  from  Imaum  Zade,  our  course  lying 
nearly  south,  through  a  narrow  valley,  with 
steep  cliffy  mountains  on  each  side,  on  the 
summits  of  which  small  gardens  were  still 
seen.  On  each  side  of  our  path  below,  we 
saw  flocks  grazing;  an  abundance  of  wood, 
though  chiefly  small,  and  of  a  kind  only  fit 
for  fuel,  but  affording  a  great  charm  after 
the  bare  country  we  had  come  through ; 
while  a  beautifully  clear  stream  meandered 
along  the  centre  of  the  valley  in  the  direction 
of  our  way,  and  numerous  singing-birds,  the 
voice  of  which  we  had  not  lately  heard,  sa- 
luted us  with  their  early  notes.  The  scenery 
was  exceedingly  like  some  parts  of  Lebanon, 
and  the  air  was  just  that  of  a  Syrian  spring. 

In  about  two  hours  we  alighted  near  a  mill, 
turned  by  the  stream  we  had  just  passed ; 
and  refreshed  ourselves  by  a  halt,  reposing 
both  ourselves  and  horses  on  the  grass  turf, 
beneath  the  shade  of  trees.  Along  the  banks 
of  this  stream  were  osiers,  willows,  date-trees, 
and  briars,  bearing  the  common  blackberry 
of  Europe  ;  romantic  rocks  were  seen  in  se- 
veral points  of  view,  and  the  voice  of  the 
thrush  still  charmed  us  with  its  rich  melody- 

From  hence  we  went  south-westerly,  and 


THE    VILLAGE    OF    MOAYN.  4^65 

in  two  hours  more  we  reached  the  station  of 
Moayn,  distant  from  Imaum  Zade  three  fur- 
sucks.  This  village,  which  was  large,  and 
surrounded  with  gardens,  was  also  seated  in 
a  close  valley,  and  had  an  agreeable  appear- 
ance. We  found  here  a  large  caravan  of 
mules  from  Shiraz,  halting  in  the  open  air; 
but  we  took  shelter  ourselves  in  a  half-ruined 
caravansera,  not  entirely  abandoned. 

We  had  already  received  instructions  about 
our  road  to  Persepolis,  or  Takht  e  Jemsheed, 
as  we  had  always  heard  it  yet  called,  from 
our  friend  Shuker  UUah  Khan ;  but  we  en- 
quired here  for  confirmation,  and  received 
the  same  directions. 

Throughout  all  Persia,  but  more  particu- 
larly here  in  Fars,  a  custom  prevails  of  giving 
the  salute  '  Salam  Alaikom,'  whenever  the 
first  lighted  lamp  or  candle  is  brought  into 
the  room  in  the  evening;  and  this  is  done 
between  servants  and  masters  as  well  as  be- 
tween equals.  As  this  is  not  practised  in 
any  other  Mohammedan  country,  it  is  pro- 
bably a  relic  of  the  ancient  reverence  to 
Fire,  once  so  prevalent  here,  though  the 
form  of  the  salute  is  naturally  that  of  the 
present  religion. 

VOL.  I.  2  n 


466  DEPARTURE    FROM    MOAYN. 

Oct.  22d, — The  night  was  so  warm  that 
we  preferred  sleeping  in  the  open  air  to  re- 
maining in  our  chambers  :  and  here  we  had 
both  musquitoes  and  fleas,  neither  of  which 
had  before  annoyed  us  since  our  first  entrance 
into  Persia.  We  therefore  slept  but  little ; 
and  through  impatience  of  suffering  began 
to  prepare  for  setting  out  soon  after  midnight. 
By  the  time  that  the  keeper  of  the  khan  was 
roused,  our  animals  fed  and  saddled,  and  our 
morning  cup  of  coffee  and  pipe  enjoyed,  the 
night  was  far  advanced  ;  and  when  we  mount- 
ed, it  was  little  more  than  an  hour  before 
daybreak.  We  continued  our  course  south- 
westerly, along  the  main  road  to  Shiraz,  be- 
tween lofty  hills  on  each  side  ;  and,  as  we  had 
been  directed,  turned  off  to  the  south-east, 
at  the  distance  of  about  a  fursuck  from  our 
first  station.  Our  road  now  went  south- 
south-east  at  the  foot  of  a  range  of  hills ; 
and  we  had  in  view,  in  different  directions, 
square  masses  of  mountains  broken  into  per- 
pendicular cliffs  on  all  sides,  and  looking  at 
a  distance  like  so  many  citadels.  The  gene- 
ral features  of  these  mountains,  but  particu- 
larly the  manner  in  which  they  were  shaped 
into  square   masses    above    a    steep-sloping 


THE   RIVER   BUND    AMEER.  467 

base,  resembled  the  range  on  which  Mardin 
is  seated  in  the  heart  of  Mesopotamia. 

When  we  had  gone  two  fursucks  from 
our  first  turning  off  the  high  road,  we  arriv- 
ed at  an  old  bridge,  of  eight  or  ten  arches, 
the  centre  one  about  twenty  feet  in  span,  and 
thirty  in  height.  This  was  a  Mohammedan 
work,  and  had  been  often  repaired  both  with 
brick  and  stone,  but  it  was  now  falling  fast 
to  decay,  though  it  was  still  passable.  A  ra- 
pid stream  ran  here  in  a  deep  bed,  and  bent 
its  course  south-easterly,  through  the  great 
plain  of  Merdusht,  now  open  before  us. 

We  descended  to  repose  upon  its  banks, 
where  our  horses  found  fine  fresh  grass, 
and  enjoyed  all  the  charms  of  rapidly  run- 
ning water,  verdure,  and  shade.  We  were 
joined  here  by  an  old  man  of  a  neighbouring 
village,  from  whom  we  learned  that  this 
stream  was  the  river  Bund  Ameer,  which 
had  its  rise  in  the  mountains  of  Komfi- 
rouze,  at  a  distance  of  ten  short  days'  jour- 
neys to  the  north-west,  being  the  limits  of 
Fars  on  the  borders  of  the  Bactiari.  About 
five  years  since,  he  said,  it  had  swelled  so 
high  in  winter,  that  it  rose  over  the  bridge, 
which  was    full  fifty  feet  above  its  present 

2  u  2 


468  ^HE    MIUAGE. 

level,  inundated  this  narrow  entrance  into 
the  plain,  extending  from  mountain  to  moun- 
tain on  each  side,  and  rendered  the  road 
impassable  for  several  weeks.  For  the  two 
last  years,  however,  he  added,  it  had  been 
almost  dry,  from  the  general  failure  of  the 
rains ;  and  indeed  it  was  now  easily  fordable 
in  the  deepest  part,  though  the  stream  was 
still  running  with  great  force  and  rapidity. 

On  our  departure  from  hence,  we  kept 
along  its  north-eastern  bank,  going  about 
south-east  through  the  plain  of  Merdusht, 
which  we  had  now  fairly  entered,  through 
its  narrow  opening  on  the  north-west.  We 
had  several  villages  in  sight,  and  among  others 
Nisack  and  Palicon  on  our  right,  as  well  as 
some  Farsee  tents  on  our  left ;  and  when  we 
had  gone  two  fursucks  from  the  bridge,  we 
had  the  whole  of  the  plain  open  to  view  be- 
fore us,  with  the  trees  of  Futhabad,  just  ap- 
pearing at  the  distance  of  about  two  fursucks 
more.  The  mirage  was  now  so  strong  in  the 
line  of  the  south-eastern  horizon,  or  in  nearly 
the  direction  of  the  sun  from  us,  that  the 
remote  parts  of  the  plain  looked  like  a 
lake,  with  wooded  islands  on   it.     This  ap- 


FUTHABAD.  469 

pearance  is  called  in  Persian  Serab,  or  the 
head  or  surface  of  water,  and  not  Sahrab, 
or  the  water  of  the  desert,  as  some  English 
writers  have  supposed  ;  this  last  word  being 
a  compound  of  Arabic  and  Persian,  but  the 
former  being  a  purely  Persian  term.  The 
Persians,  indeed,  having  a  proper  name  for 
the  desert  in  their  own  language,  Choul,  do 
not  recognize  the  Arabic  term  Salter^  or 
Zahara^  at  all. 

It  was  about  noon  when  we  reached  Fut- 
habad,  where  we  found  excellent  accommoda- 
tion in  an  upper  room,  immediately  over  the 
gate  of  entrance  to  the  village,  looking  down 
on  the  place  of  general  assembly  among  the 
villagers,  yet  perfectly  secure  from  intrusion. 
As  I  had  found  no  opportunity  since  leaving 
Yezdikhaust,  of  noting  our  progress,  from 
being  always  with  the  Khan  Shuker  UUah, 
and  as  I  was  yesterday  too  fatigued  to  spare 
that  time  from  rest,  I  profited  by  this  occa- 
sion to  preserve  my  recollections  in  writing, 
before  they  were  removed  by  more  interest- 
ing ones. 

Oct.  23d. — We  left  Futhabad  an  hour  be- 
fore daylight,  and,  going  through  its  eastern 


470  FIRE    ALTAKS. 

gate,  went  nearly  north-north-east  over  a  by- 
path. In  half  an  hour  we  passed  on  our 
right  a  small  village  called  Shemsabad,  and 
in  another  half-hour  we  passed  a  second, 
called  Zenghiabad.  In  less  than  half  an 
hour  more,  having  several  villages  in  sight 
as  the  sun  rose,  with  cultivated  land,  flocks, 
trees,  and  water,  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain,  which  forms  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  plain  of  Merdusht.  The 
first  object  we  saw  on  the  west  was  a  small 
rock,  on  which  stood  two  fire-altars  of  a  pe- 
culiar form  :  their  dimensions  were  five  feet 
square  at  the  base  and  three  at  the  top,  and 
they  were  five  feet  high.  There  were  pillars 
or  pilasters  at  the  corners,  and  arches  in  the 
sides.  In  the  centre  of  each  of  these,  on  the 
top,  was  a  square  basin,  about  eighteen  inches 
in  diameter,  and  six  in  depth,  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  fire,  formerly  used  by  the  dis- 
ciples of  Zoroaster  in  their  worship. 

About  three  hundred  paces  to  the  east  of 
this  was  a  large  tablet,  on  which  were  two 
men  on  horseback,  their  heads  meeting,  and 
the  men  each  holding  a  ring.  They  each 
tread  on  captives ;  the  breast-cloths  of  the 
horses  have  lions  on  them,  well  executed ; 


TOMBS    OF    THE    PERSIAN    KINGS.  471 

and  inscriptions  both  in  Greek  and  Sassa- 
nian  are  seen  near.* 

The  tablet  on  which  these  sculptures  are 
represented  is  about  twelve  feet  high  from 
the  ground,  and  is  extremely  difficult  to  get 
at.  The  figures  are  larger  than  life ;  they 
are  sculptured  in  full  relief,  and  are  well 
executed. 

Beyond  this,  a  few  paces  east,  is  a  chief, 
with  a  globe  on  his  head,  standing,  and  lean- 
ing on  a  staff.  On  the  right  of  him  are  se- 
veral persons,  apparently  in  Roman  dresses ; 
and,  on  the  left,  some  with  helmets,  curled 
beards  and  hair.  The  lower  parts  of  the 
bodies  of  all  these,  except  the  chief,  are  co- 
vered by  a  blank,  left  high  in  the  stones ; 
and  below  the  whole  is  a  concave  tablet, 
apparently  prepared  for  an  inscription,  which 
was  never  finished.  The  design  is  well  ex- 
ecuted, but  its  meaning  is  not  easily  disco- 
vered. 

Beyond  this,  a  few  yards  further  on,  are 

*  1  copied  what  little  remains  of  the  Greek  inscription  on 
the  breast  of  the  first  horse  at  this  place,  as  well  as  the  two 
Sassanian  ones,  above  and  below,  and  others  again  from  the 
second  horse ;  but  as  they  are  too  mutilated  and  imperfect  to 
lead  to  any  useful  result,  and  could  only  be  represented  by  a 
separate  engraving,  they  are  omitted. 


472  TOMBS    OF    THE 

the  tombs  of  the  ancient  Persian  kings. 
There  are  three  of  these  facing  the  south, 
and  one  facing  the  west.  The  entrance  to 
them  is  twenty  feet  high  from  the  ground, 
and  they  are  nearly  all  alike  in  their  de- 
sign :  there  is,  first,  a  square  space,  next  an 
oblong  one,  and  then  a  square  above,  form- 
ing a  sort  of  Greek  cross.  The  lower  por- 
tion is  blank.  In  the  central  portion  is  the 
door  of  entrance,  with  a  closed  portico  of 
four  pillars  in  front :  the  capitals  have 
double  rams'  heads  facing  outward,  and  the 
frieze  is  decidedly  Greek,  while  the  door  is 
perfectly  Egyptian  in  every  respect.  The 
upper  space  has  also  an  Egyptian  design — 
a  sort  of  throne,  supported  by  pillars,  with 
a  horned  head  on  each  side,  and  two  rows 
of  slaves,  who,  with  extended  arms,  sup- 
port the  middle.  Above  is  a  priest  with  a 
bow,  standing  before  an  altar  of  fire  ;  and 
over  all  is  the  sun,  or  the  full  moon,  with 
what  I  should  take  to  be  the  winged  globe 
of  Egypt,  but  in  a  stifFer  form.  Beneath  the 
first  tomb  is  a  bas-relief,  representing  a  com- 
bat between  two  horsemen  ;  and  opposite  to 
this  is  a  square  isolated  building,  also   an 


ANCIENT    PERSIAN    KINGS.  473 

ancient  tomb.  Its  entrance  on  the  north, 
and  facing  the  caves,  is  midway  up  its 
height,  or  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  from 
the  ground  :  the  masonry  of  this  is  excellent, 
and  the  stones  large  ;  but  the  whole  has 
a  very  singular  appearance,  from  the  deep 
niches  cut  on  the  outer  surface,  and  from  its 
having  blank  windows,  of  square  and  oblong 
forms,  let  in  on  three  sides,  of  a  black  stone, 
while  the  edifice  is  of  white.  The  roof  is 
flat ;  it  is  still  perfect,  and  apparently  form- 
ed of  large  beams  of  stone,  as  in  the  temples 
of  Egypt.  The  door  was  evidently  a  folding 
stone  door,  as  used  in  the  tombs  of  the  Jew- 
ish kings  at  Jerusalem,  and  in  the  mountains 
of  the  Decapolis,  judging  from  the  large  sills 
for  the  pivots,  which  are  still  seen  in  the 
upper  architrave.  The  entrances  to  the  cave 
tombs  in  the  rocks  were  closed. 

Between  the  second  and  third  cave  is  a 
figure  of  a  Sassanian  monarch  on  horseback, 
with  a  Roman  prisoner,  supplicating  him,  in 
the  act  of  kneeling  ;  and  the  whole  attitude 
of  this  supplicant  is  full  of  expression :  the 
figures  are  all  larger  than  life,  are  executed 
in  high  relief,  and  are  extremely  well  done. 


474  TOMBS    OF    THE    PERSIAN    KINGS. 

Behind  this  is  an  inscription  of  at  least  one 
hundred  lines  in  the  Sassanian  character, 
which  might  be  easily  copied. 

Beneath  the  third  tomb  is  a  bas-relief,  re- 
presenting a  combat,  originally  well  executed, 
but  now  partly  defaced.  This  tomb  is  also 
closed  ;  but  all  the  space  of  the  portico  be- 
hind the  pilasters,  and  the  whole  of  the  space 
not  occupied  by  the  figures  above,  is  covered 
with  inscriptions  of  many  hundred  lines^  in 
tablets,  like  those  which  I  saw  at  the  cliff  of 
Bisitoon.  Between  the  third  and  fourth  cave 
is  a  bas-relief,  in  high  preservation : — a  Sas- 
sanian monarch  is  holding,  with  his  queen,  a 
ring,  from  which  ribbons  float :  behind  them 
is  a  soldier,  with  a  Roman  helmet,  holding  up 
one  hand,  while  the  other  is  placed  on  his 
sword.  The  drapery  and  dresses  of  this 
group  are  exceedingly  well  delineated. 

The  fourth  tomb  has  no  additional  orna- 
ments ;  but  its  front  is  in  higher  preservation 
than  any  other.  They  were  all  inaccessible 
to  us,  and  could  not  be  got  at  without  lad- 
ders or  ropes.  There  are  many  inscriptions, 
and  some  tablets  smoothed  away  for  others 
never  cut. 

This  last  tomb,  as  it  stands  in  a  separate 


ARRIVAL    AT    PEllSEPOLIS.  475 

mass  of  rock  from  the  others,  and  faces  to 
the  west,  may  perhaps  be  the  tomb  of  Da- 
rius, seated  as  it  is  in  a  double  mountain, 
and  more  inaccessible  than  either  of  the 
others,  though  its  style  is  still  the  same. 

We  went  from  hence  down  to  Persepolis, 
in  a  southerly  direction,  and  crossed  culti- 
vated grounds  and  canals.  In  half  an  hour 
we  passed  over  the  stream  of  Polwar,  which 
was  now  very  low.  It  comes  from  seven  or 
eight  fursucks  off  to  the  north-east,  and  goes 
into  the  Bund  Ameer,  close  by  a  small  square 
foundation  of  a  building,  called  Takht-e- 
Taous,  where  Jumsheed  is  said  to  have 
stopped  half-way  between  his  palace  and 
Naksh-e-Rustan,  to  smoke  his  nargeel  and 
drink  coffee.  In  half  an  hour  more,  turning 
round  a  rocky  point,  we  came  to  Chehel 
Minar,  or  the  Forty  Pillars,  the  only  name 
by  which  Persepolis  is  at  present  known  by 
the  Persians, — and  so  called,  because  of  the 
pillars  being  very  numerous  and  resembling 
the  minarets  of  mosques. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

VISIT     TO     THE     RUINS     OF     PERSEPOLIS,     AND 
JOURNEY    FROM    THENCE    TO    SHIRAZ. 

It  is  very  difficult,  without  being  tedious, 
to  give  any  detailed  account  of  the  ruins  of 
this  celebrated  place.  There  is  no  great 
temple,  as  at  Thebes,  at  Palmyra,  or  at  Baal- 
beck,  sufficiently  predominant  over  all  sur- 
rounding objects  to  attract  the  chief  atten- 
tion, and  furnish  of  itself  sufficient  matter  for 
description  and  admiration.  Here,  all  is  in 
broken  and  detached  fragments,  extremely 
numerous,  and  each  worthy  attention,  but  so 
scattered  and  disjointed  as  to  give  no  perfect 
idea  of  the  whole.  Its  principal  feature  is, 
that  it  presents  an  assemblage  of  tall,  slender, 
and  isolated   pillars,  and  separate  doorways 


CHAPTER  XMI, 


RUINS  OF  THE  GREAT  TEMPLE  AT  PERSEPOLIS. 


Fulilislmd  by  Henry  Colburn,  8  New  Hurli.i^ton  Street-    Ja-i.  I, 


# 


VISIT    TO    THE    RUINS    OF    TERSEPOLIS.     477 

and  sanctuaries,  spread  over  a  large  platform, 
elevated,  like  a  fortification,  from  the  level  of 
the  surrounding  plain,  the  effect  of  which  is 
increased  by  the  mountains  in  the  distance. 
Difficult,  however,  as  is  the  task  of  describing 
such  remains  in  any  connected  or  striking 
manner,  and  brief  and  hurried  as  was  my  view 
of  the  whole,  I  shall  lay  before  the  reader  the 
notes  penned  on  the  spot,  from  which  he  will 
be  able  probably  to  form  some  tolerably  ac- 
curate idea  of  the  place  described  ;  and  then 
follow  it  by  a  consideration  of  some  of  the 
ancient  descriptions  left  us  of  this  place, 
when  in  its  glory,  which  were  also  examined 
on  the  spot,  and  there  compared  with  the 
existing  remains. 

The  natural  rock  was  hewn  down  to  form 
the  platform  on  which  the  temple  of  Per- 
sepolis  stood,  and  this  platform  was  then 
faced  round  with  masonry.  There  are  small 
quarries  of  the  same  stone  near  it ;  but  the 
smoothing  away  of  the  original  rock  most 
probably  furnished  the  greater  part  of  the 
stone.  The  facing  of  the  platform  is  of  ex- 
tremely solid  work,  the  stones  being  every- 
where large  and  well-hewn ;  but  there  is 
great  irregularity  in  the  general  form  of  the 


478  VISIT    TO    THE 

whole,  and  large  and  small  pieces  are  often 
let  into  each  other  by  a  sort  of  dovetailing 
in  the  work.  The  flight  of  steps  for  ascend- 
ing the  platform  is  regular,  easy,  and  of  noble 
appearance.  The  two  entrance-gates  were 
guarded  by  sphynxes,  forming  the  portals  of 
a  sanctuary  :  these  animals  are  very  finely 
executed,  and  both  their  attitudes  and  the 
details  of  their  sculpture  are  excellent  The 
masonry  is  also  as  fine  as  could  be  executed 
at  the  present  day :  the  blocks  are  large, 
closely  united,  and  regular  in  size  and  shape  ; 
they  are  of  a  bluish  marble.  The  two  co- 
lumns now  standing  erect  between  these  gates 
of  entrance  have  for  their  base  a  plinth,  which 
resembles  an  inverted  lotus  flower.  The  shaft 
is.  marked  by  very  shallow  flutings,  and  each 
pillar  is  formed  of  three  pieces.  This  is 
covered  by  another  inverted  lotus  flower ; 
land  above  this  rises  a  capital,  like  the  palm- 
leaved  capital  of  ancient  Egyptian  temples. 
Above  this,  again,  are  four  scrolls ;  then  a 
square  fluted  plinth,  with  Ionic  volutes  ;  and 
lastly,  above  all,  a  broken  mass  of  some 
animal   resembling  a  ram.^      The    general 

*  Whether  this  had  any  astronomical  allusion,  it  is  difficult 
to  say.     Monsieur  Bailly,  in  his  ingenious  Letters  on  Ancient 


RUINS    OF    PERSEPOLIS.  479 

effect  of  these  columns  is  slender  and  mean, 
and  very  inferior  to  the  Greek  or  Egyptian. 
From  the  fragment  of  one  that  lies  fallen,  it 
is  seen  that  the  several  pieces  of  which  they 
were  composed  were  joined  together  by  a 
part  of  the  upper  piece  being  let  down  into  a 

Astronomy,  says—*  I  think  I  have  demonstrated  that  the  Per- 
sian Empire  and  the  foundation  of  PersepoHs  ascend  to  3,209 
years  before  Jesus  Christ.  (Hist,  de  I'Astr.  Anc.  p.  354.) 
Dreinschid,  who  built  that  city,  entered  it  and  there  esta- 
blished his  empire  the  very  day  when  the  sun  passes  into  the 
constellation  of  the  Ram.  This  day  was  made  to  begin  the 
year,  and  it  became  the  epoch  of  a  period,  which  includes  the 
knowledge  of  the  solar  year  of  365  days  6  hours.  Here  then  we 
again  find  astronomy  coeval  with  the  origin  of  this  empire.  The 
astronomical  incident  which  accompanies  the  foundation  of  Per- 
sepolis  supplied  me  with  the  proof  of  its  antiquity.  (Vol.  i. 
p.  70.)  The  letters  of  the  alphabet  found  at  Persepolis  do  not 
exceed  five;  and  it  is  observed  that  they  differ  equally  by  the 
manner  in  which  they  are  combined,  and  in  that  in  which  they 
are  placed.  So  also  the  Irish  characters,  called  Ogham,  consist 
merely  in  a  unit,  repeated  five  times,  and  whose  value  changes 
according  to  the  way  in  which  it  is  placed  relative  to  a  fictitious 
line.  They  have  much  analogy  with  those  of  Persepolis.' — See 
Gebelins  Origin  de  LangueSj  p.  506,  and  Bailie's  Letters,  vol.  ii. 
p.  331. 

*  The  Sabians  and  early  Arabians  worshipped  the  heavenly 
bodies  ;  and  among  them  the  tribe  of  Beni  Koreish  were  those 
that  kept  the  temple  of  Mecca.  Koreish  is  the  name  given  to 
Cyrus  in  Scripture,  and  this  signifies  the  sun  in  Hebrew,  as  Cy- 
rus did  in  Persian,  and  Khow  in  Pehlivi,' — History  of  Persia, 
vol.  i.  p.  288. 


480  VISIT    TO    THE 

corresponding  aperture  of  the  other.  There 
is  a  square  cistern  near  the  columns,  built  of 
very  large  stones,  having  outside  it  a  good 
moulding,  and  high  over  it  a  hanging  cor- 
nice of  the  Egyptian  form. 

The  great  mass  of  the  ruins  is  on  a  higher 
platform  above  the  first.  At  the  sides  of  the 
steps  ascending  to  this  are  sculptured  pro- 
cessions, sacrifices,  &c.  of  which  Niebuhr  has 
given  tolerably  faithful  drawings.  They  are 
all  admirably  executed,  and  bear  a  striking 
resemblance  to  similar  processions  at  Thebes 
and  Edfou,  in  Egypt.  Among  other  resem- 
blances are  those  of  trees,  placed  to  divide 
men  who  are  near  ascending  steps,  beasts  of 
sacrifice,  offerings  of  meat,  cars  and  horses, 
armed  men,  &c.  All  these  sculptures  are 
particularly  fine,  though  parts  of  them  are 
now  buried,  and  other  parts  broken ;  and 
even  the  portions  least  injured  are  discolour- 
ed by  a  thin  moss  grown  over  the  surface. 
Horizontal  lines  of  open  flowers,  like  the  rose 
or  lotus,  are  in  some  places  seen  dividing 
the  compartments,  which  is  also  an  Egyptian 
device. 

This  portion  of  the  ruins  seems  to  have 
been  a  grand  open  portico,  consisting  of  many 


RUINS    OF    PERSEPOLIS.  481 

rows  of  columns,  supporting  only  architraves  ; 
and  below  them  are  oblong  blocks,  as  if  for 
pedestals  of  sphynxes.  The  several  columns 
erect  are  all  fluted  :  some  of  them  being  of 
the  same  design  as  those  already  described  ; 
and  others,  the  capitals  of  which  appear  to  be 
gone,  being  much  higher  in  proportion  to 
their  diameter. 

Above  this,  on  a  still  higher  platform,  to 
the  southward,  is  seen  an  assemblage  of  dif- 
ferent sanctuaries,  which  are  quite  Egyptian 
in  their  style.  The  first  of  these  that  we 
entered  was  a  square  of  about  thirty  feet, 
having  two  doors  on  the  north,  one  on  the 
south,  two  on  the  west,  and  one  on  the  east. 
These  are  perfectly  Egyptian  in  every  respect, 
as  may  be  seen  from  the  drawings  of  those 
that  exist :  they  are  composed  of  three  pieces 
— two  portals  and  an  architrave,  and  above 
this  the  cornice.  Their  inner  surfaces  are 
sculptured  with  designs  representing  the  sa- 
crifices of  beasts.  The  priests  have  umbrellas 
held  over  them  as  in  India,  and  the  guards 
are  armed  with  spears.  Between  the  doors 
are  monoliths,  like  those  used  in  Egypt,  for 
keeping  the  sacred  animals,  and  about  the 
same  size.    Around  these  were  inscriptions  of 

VOL.    I.  2    I 


482  VISIT    TO    THE 

the  arrow-headed  character.  The  gates  were 
closed,  not  by  doors,  but  by  bars  only,  of 
which  the  sills  still  remain ;  but  both  the 
open  and  closed  monoliths,  the  first  being 
like  mere  window-frames,  had  each  folding 
doors  of  metal,  as  the  holes  for  the  pivots, 
both  above  and  below,  were  too  small  to 
afford  sufficient  strength  to  stone.  Some  of 
these  monoliths  are  quite  perfect,  and  might 
be  easily  brought  to  the  British  Museum,  by 
way  of  Bushire.  Each  of  them  were  highly 
polished,  and  one  especially  appeared  to  us 
to  give  out  as  clear  a  reflection  as  the  finest 
mirror  of  glass.*  It  is  on  these  monoliths 
that  the  Arabic,  Coptic,  and  Persian  inscrip- 

*  It  will  be  seen  that  the  description  given  by  the  earliest 
travellers  of  this  place  was  not  exaggerated.  In  Murray's  His- 
torical Account  of  Discoveries  in  Asia  is  the  following  pas- 
sage:— 'Beyond  Schiraz,  the  Ambassador  (Garcia  de  Sylva 
from  Goa,  in  1621)  came  to  the  spot  called  Cilminar,  cele- 
brated for  the  mighty  ruins  which  cover  its  site — the  remains 
of  the  ancient  Persepolis.  They  were  diligently  surveyed  by 
our  author,  who  describes  them  with  an  enthusiasm  which  per- 
haps betrays  him  into  some  degree  of  exaggeration.  He  dwells 
on  the  superb  range  of  columns,  particularly  those  called  the 
Forty  Minarets ;  the  magnificent  stairs  by  which  it  is  ascended ; 
the  vast  interior  square,  430  feet  by  310,  and  the  huge  pieces 
of  marble,  without  any  apparent  juncture.  The  sculptures  were 
innumerable,  and  are  conceived  by  him  to  represent  the  actions 
of  a  race  of  men,  prior  to  any  now  known,  even  to  the  ancient 


RUINS   OF    PERSEPOLIS.  483 

tions  are  deeply  cut,  and  that  with  so  much 
care  as  to  have  required  days  or  weeks  in  the 
execution.  The  proportions  of  the  doors  are 
extremely  massive  ;  and  their  passages  are  so 
narrow,  as  not  to  admit  of  two  persons  pass- 
ing each  other  commodiously.  They  are  all 
of  black  stone,  slightly  veined  with  quartz, 
and  very  close-grained.  There  are  also  many 
arrow-headed  inscriptions  on  the  portals  of 
these  doors,  all  beautifully  cut ;  and  three 
of  this  description  on  each  side  the  great 
entrance,  guarded  by  the  sphynxes  below. 

Beyond  this,  a  few  paces  to  the  south-east, 
is  another  similar  sanctuary  of  doors  and 
monoliths.  This,  however,  is  larger  than 
the  former,  and  had  circular  pedestals  for 

Babylonians  and  Persians.  Yet,  though  ascending  to  this  vast 
antiquity,  they  are  so  entire,  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
fragments  broken  off,  they  might  seem  to  have  been  recently 
finished.  In  comparing  these  with  the  monuments  of  other 
nations,  he  observes,  that  the  pyramids  are  mere  artificial  moun- 
tains, while  the  temples  of  Greece  are  in  ruins :  here,  only  art 
and  grandeur  are  united  in  pristine  perfection.  The  high  polish 
of  the  marble  was  amusingly  shown  by  a  mastiff^  who,  seeing 
his  own  figure  reflected  on  the  walls,  was  worked  up  to  fury, 
which  was  always  increased  by  the  view  of  the  corresponding 
gestures  in  the  reflected  image ;  till  the  same  scene  being  re- 
peated wherever  they  came,  they  were  at  length  obliged  to  chain 
and  send  him  off.' — Murniys  Historical  Account  of  Travels  in 
Asia,  vol.  iii.  p.  36,  37. 

2  I  2 


484  VISIT    TO    THE 

six  rows  of  columns  of  six  pillars  each,  which 
probably  support  an  open  roof,  with  a  cen- 
tral passage  for  water.  This  extends  to  the 
end  of  the  platform  on  the  south-east,  which, 
with  the  natural  rock,  is  here  at  an  elevation 
of  at  least  thirty  feet  from  the  ground. 

Beyond  this  to  the  eastward,  on  a  lower 
platform,  is  the  square  of  another  similar 
sanctuary,  formed  of  doors  and  open  and 
closed  windows  or  recesses  :  these^  however, 
are  not  monoliths  like  the  others,  the  sides 
and  architraves  being  separate  pieces,  and 
now  half  buried  in  earth. 

To  the  north-east  of  this,  and  on  a  higher 
level,  is  a  part  of  the  frame  of  a  larger  but 
similar  sanctuary,  in  the  middle  of  which 
were  columns.  Three  of  the  gates  of  this 
are  all  that  now  remain,  but  these  are  finer 
than  any  before  described.  Their  inner  por- 
tals are  sculptured  with  representations  of 
priests,  some  standing  with  umbrellas  held 
over  them,  and  others  sitting  on  chairs,  their 
feet  on  footstools,  with  rows  of  slaves  be- 
neath, supporting  the  throne  on  which  they 
sit,  as  found  in  the  tombs  of  the  Persian 
kings.  Behind  the  chair  is  sometimes  seen 
an    attendant    holding    a    full-blown    lotus 


RUINS    OF    PERSEPOLIS.  485 

flower.  Above  the  head  of  the  priest  is  the 
winged  globe,  perfectly  well  delineated,  over 
a  curtain  of  fringe  between  two  lines  of 
open  flowers  ;  and  above  all  is  a  circle,  with 
two  wings  descending,  one  on  each  side,  and 
a  feathered  tail,  as  of  a  bird,  with  a  man 
standing  in  the  centre  of  the  circle,  extend- 
ing the  palm  of  the  right  hand,  and  hold- 
ing in  the  left  a  ring. 

To  the  north-east  of  this,  a  few  paces,  is 
the  largest  sanctuary  of  all,  but  exactly  si- 
milar to  the  others  in  design.  The  inner 
portals  of  the  great  gate  to  the  west  are  par- 
ticularly fine.  There  are  seen  five  or  six 
rows  of  warriors,  with  spears,  shields,  arrows, 
quivers,  and  helmets  or  dresses  of  different 
forms.^  A  priest  sits  in  a  chair  above,  and 
holds  a  lotus  flower  in  one  hand,  and  a  long 
staff*  in  the  other,  while  his  foot  is  placed  on 
a  footstool.  Before  him  are  two  altars  of 
fire,  with  extinguishers  fastened  by  chains  ; 
a  man  with  a  round  helmet  and  a  short 
sword  addresses  the  priest ;  and  behind  him 
a  female  is  seen  bringing  in  some  offer- 
ing in  a  small  basket.     Above  this  is  the 

*  Herodotus  mentions  (§  102)  that  the  ancient  Persians  were 
armed  like  the  Egyptians. 


486  VISIT    TO    THE 

same  curtain  of  network  described  before, 
and  two  friezes  of  the  winged  globe  in  the 
centre,  with  three  lions  on  each  side  guard- 
ing it;  the  two  divisions  are  separated  by 
lines  of  open  flowers.  All  the  male  figures 
were  bearded ;  but  they  have  been  wantonly 
disfigured  in  this  part,  probably  by  bigoted 
Moslems,  who  consider  every  representation 
of  living  beings  as  a  breach  of  the  com- 
mandment. 

The  designs  of  the  other  gates  of  this 
sanctuary  represent  a  priest  stabbing  a  uni- 
corn, and  a  chief  sitting  on  a  chair  supported 
on  a  throne.  Both  the  winged  globe  and  the 
lotus  are  frequently  seen,  and  the  whole 
work  is  Egyptian  in  its  style.  Neither  the 
doors  nor  the  recesses  of  this  sanctuary  ever 
seem  to  have  been  closed,  as  there  are  no 
marks  of  hinges  anywhere  ;  nor  does  it  ap- 
pear to  have  been  ever  roofed,  though  there 
are  fragments  of  fluted  columns  lying  in  the 
middle. 

Above  this,  at  the  back  of  the  great  temple, 
and  hewn  in  the  rocks,  are  two  large  cave- 
tombs,  resembling  those  at  Naksh-e-Rustan 
in  the  sculptures  of  their  front ;  but  both  of 


RUINS   OF    PEKSEPOLIS.  487 

them  are  at  present  inaccessible,  from  the 
quantity  of  rubbish  accumulated  before  them. 
Remembering  that  Chardin  had  mention- 
ed the  discovery  of  mummies  in  Khorassan, 
and  the  ancient  Bactriana,  and  every  thing 
about  us  reminding  me  of  Egypt,  I  was  cu- 
rious in  enquiring  whether  any  preserved 
bodies  had  ever  been  found  near  these  tombs, 
but  could  learn  nothing  satisfactory  on  this 
point.  * 

*  As  a  proof  that  great  pains  were  bestowed  on  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  bodies  of  the  illustrious  dead,  among  the  early  Per- 
sians, the  following  cases  may  be  cited  : — 

Arrian  says,  that  Alexander  caused  the  body  of  Darius  to  be 
transported  into  Persia,  to  be  buried  in  the  sepulchre  of  his  an- 
cestors, without  naming  the  place,  (lib.  3).  The  same  author 
says,  that  Alexander  learned  with  mortification  that  at  Pasa- 
garda  they  had  opened  and  pillaged  the  tomb  of  Cyrus,  which 
was  placed  in  the  park  of  the  castle  of  that  city,  surrounded  by 
a  wood,  and  accompanied  by  fountains  and  meadows. 

Zezdijerd,  whose  forces  were  defeated  in  a  memorable  battle, 
became  a  fugitive,  through  Seistan,  Khorassan,  and  Meronear, 
where  he  was  obscurely  murdered  ;  but  his  corpse  being  disco- 
vered, it  was  afterwards  embalmed,  and  sent  to  Istakhr,  to  be 
interred  in  the  sepulchres  of  his  ancestors ;  and  with  him  ended 
the  dynasty  of  the  Sassanian  kings. — Hist,  of  Persia,  vol.  i. 
p.  178. 

Pliny,  in  his  Natural  History,  says,  that  while  the  stone  called 
Sarcophagus  was  ^aid  to  destroy  speedily  all  bodies  interred  in 
it,  there  was  another  stone  called  Chernites,  and  said  to  re-  . 


488  VISIT    TO    THE 

On  the  north  of  the  whole  we  saw  an  iso- 
lated gate,  like  the  rest  in  form,  but  small, 
plain,  and  standing  alone,  after  the  manner 
of  those  found  at  Daboat,  in  Nubia,  leading 
to  the  temple  there. 

No  marks  of  fire  were  any  where  to  be 
seen  about  the  ruins,  nor  was  there  any  ap- 
pearance of  either  a  city  or  a  citadel  in  any 
direction  about  Persepolis.* 

semble  ivory,  that  had  the  reputation  of  keeping  and  preserving 
dead  bodies  from  corruption ;  and  it  was  in  a  sepulchre  or  coffin 
of  this  stone  that  the  body  of  Darius  the  King  of  Persia  was 
reported  to  have  been  laid. — Plm.  Nat.  Hist.  b.  36.  c.  17. 

Issundear,  the  son  of  Gashtash,  was  the  first  convert  made 
by  Zoroaster.  The  King  was  also  persuaded  to  follow  his  ex- 
ample, and  ordered  twelve  thousand  cow-hides  to  be  tanned 
fine,  that  the  precepts  of  his  new  faith  might  be  written  upon 
them.  These  parchments  were  deposited  in  a  vault  hewn  out  of 
the  rock  at  Persepolis.  Can  these  be  among  the  supposed  tombs 
here?  or  at  Naksh-e-Rustam  ? — Hist,  of  Persia,  vol.  i.  p.  58. 

*  The  following  Bearings,  accurately  taken  by  compass  from 
Persepolis,  standing  on  the  Platform  of  the  Great  Temple,  may 
be  interesting:  — 


Fursucks. 

Naksh-e-Rustam 

N.                        i 

Bagh  Nuzzur  Ali  Khan     . 

N.N.W.              i 

Zenghi  Abad    .         .         .         . 

N.N.W.  1  W,     1 

Istakel-Khallah 

N.W.  iN.         2    ' 

Beebee  Banoo  Imaum  Zade 

N.W.                   2 

Polinoh   .         .         .         .         . 

N.W.  1  W.         1 

Jebel  Aioobe    .         .         . 

N.W.  iW.       10 

Asfardoo          .         .         .         . 

N.W.byW.JW.2 

RUINS    OF    PEKSEPOLIS.  489 

According  to  Oriental  tradition,  Persepolis 
was  so  large  as  to  have  included  all  the  ruins 
in  the  plain  of  Moorgaub,  as  well  as  Istakhr, 
Merdusht,  and  the  bridge  of  the  Bund  Ameer 
within  it.^ 

Istakhr,  or  Istakel,  was  represented  to  us 
as  a  large  castle  on  the  mountain,  exceedingly 
difficult  of  access,  built  of  large  stones,  having 
one  gate  of  entrance,  but  neither  columns  nor 
sculpture,  and  now  entirely  in  ruins.f 

Fursucks. 


Ameer  Khoskoon     . 

W.N.W. 

1 

4 

Bagh  Ameer  Khoskoon    . 
Kooshk 

W.  by  N. 
W. 

i 

1 

Kenarey 
Rushmegoon 
Shemsabad  Bolyobaf 
Gheashek 

S.W. 

s.w.  by  W. 
.  ■      S.  by  W. 
S.  J  W. 

1 

2 
3 

Imaum  Zade   . 

S.byE.  J  E. 

1 

The  Temple  of  Persepolis  fronted  due  W.  by  S.  i  S. 

*  The  river  which  goes  through  the  Plain  of  Merdusht  is 
called  the  Kur  by  Khondemir  and  some  other  authors ;  and  the 
name  of  Bund  Ameer,  now  applied  even  by  the  people  of  the 
country  to  the  river  itself,  was  originally  given  to  a  dyke  over  it 
made  by  Azad-u-Dowlah,  the  ruler  of  Pars  and  Irak,  and  Vizier 
to  the  Caliph  of  Bagdad.  A.  H.  367.  A.  D.  977.— Hist,  of 
Persia,  vol.  i.  p.  309. 

t  The  hill  fort  of  Istakhr  was  used  as  a  place  of  confinement 
to  so  late  a  period  as  A.  H.  898.  A.  D.  1492,  when  Sultan  Ali 
and  his  brothers,  in  the  disputes  to  succession  among  the  early 
SafFavean  devotees,  were  imprisoned  there  upwards  of  four 
years. — Hist,  of  Persia ,  v.  i.  p.  499. 


490  VISIT    TO    THE 

Quintus  Curtius,  after  describing  the  de- 
bauch of  Alexander,  and  his  destruction  of 
the  temple  at  Persepolis,  says  that  this  city, 
whose  forces  were  sufficient  to  make  Greece 
tremble,  was  reduced  to  a  state  so  deplorable 
that  it  was  soon  abandoned,  and  but  for  the 
Araxes  leading  to  a  discovery  of  its  position, 
the  place  where  it  stood  would  hardly  then 
have  been  known. ^  The  same  Quintus  Cur- 
tins,  however,  also  says,  that  Alexander  spared 
the  citadel,  and  left  there  a  governor  with  a 
garrison  of  8000  Macedonians. 

Diodorus  Siculus  describes  a  grand  sacrifice 

*  On  approaching  this  city,  Alexander  is  said  to  have  as- 
sembled his  chiefs,  and  to  have  observed  to  them,  that  there 
had  never  been  any  city  more  hostile  to  the  Greeks  than  Perse- 
polis, the  ancient  residence  of  the  kings  of  Persia,  and  the 
capital  of  their  empire;  that  it  was  from  thence  came  those 
immense  armies  which  had  overrun  Greece,  and  from  thence  that 
Darius  and  Xerxes  had  brought  them  to  desolate  Europe  with 
their  wars ;  and  that  therefore  it  was  necessary  to  revenge  all 
those  evils  upon  this  city  as  the  source  of  them.  The  Persians 
having  already  abandoned  it,  the  army  of  Alexander  entered  it 
without  opposition,  and  found  there  immense  treasures  surpass- 
ing all  their  former  spoils.  It  was  at  a  feast  succeeding  the 
pillage  of  the  city  that  Thais,  a  courtezan  of  Greece,  in  the 
midst  of  the  entertainment,  exclaimed  to  the  King,  *  There 
never  can  be  an  occasion  more  favourable  than  the  present  to 
acquire  and  deserve  the  gratitude  of  the  Greeks,  by  giving  to 
the  flames  the  Royal  Palace  of  the  Persian  kings.     The  nations 


RUINS    OF    PERSEPOLIS.  491 

which  Pencestes,  Satrap  of  Persepolis,  offered 
to  the  Gods,  among  the  number  of  which  he 
counted  Alexander  and  Philip,  and  mentions 
afterwards  the  magnificent  entertainment 
which  he  gave  to  the  whole  army  of  Eu- 
menes.^  The  existence  of  a  Satrap  here, 
would  therefore  lead  to  the  inference  of  its 
continuing  to  be,  even  after  Alexander's  wan- 
ton destruction  of  the  temple,  the  seat  of  a 
native  governor. 

The  second  book  of  the  Maccabees  gives  a 
proof  of  its  being  a  considerable  place  as  far 
down  as  one  hundred  and  sixty  years  after 
Alexander's  time,  as  it  is  there  said,  (chap. 

whose  cities  the  barbarians  have  aboUshed  will  expect  from 
Alexander  such  an  act  of  justice !'  This,  says  the  historian, 
was  the  advice  of  a  courtezan,  and  of  one  who  was  intoxicated  ; 
nevertheless,  it  was  no  sooner  given  than  the  King  arose,  and 
was  followed  by  his  guests,  who,  still  heated  with  wine,  ex- 
claimed, '  Revenge  for  Greece  ! — 'Destruction  to  Persepolis  !' 
The  King  was  the  first  to  throw  his  torch,  his  officers  followed, 
and  the  concubines.  The  palace  was  built  chiefly  of  cedar, 
and  the  destruction  was  so  complete,  that  but  for  the  Araxes, 
which  ran  near  it,  pointing  out  its  site,  not  a  vestige  of  it  could 
be  found,  and  that  to  this  time  it  had  never  been  restored. — 
Quint.  Curt.  lib.  v.  c,  6,  7. 

*  The  historian  describes  the  governor  as  sending  almost  over 
all  Persia  for  beasts  to  be  sacrificed,  and  abundance  of  all  other 
provisions  necessary  for  a  festival  and  public  solemnity  on  the 
grandest  scale. — Diod.  Sic.  lib.  xix.  c.  2. 


4921  VJSIT    TO    THE 

ix.)  that  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  King  of  Syria, 
formed  the  design  of  pillaging  the  temple 
and  the  city  of  Persepolis,  which  must  have 
been  supposed,  at  least,  to  have  contained 
sufficient  wealth  to  reward  the  enterprise  of 
a  monarch  already  sufficiently  rich."^ 

The  existence  of  the  Arabic  inscriptions,  so 
long  and  so  carefully  executed,  is  assumed 
also  as  a  proof  of  the  city  being  peopled  even 
down  to  that  period  ;  as  no  voyager,  it  is  said, 
could  have  either  the  conveniences  or  the 
leisure  to  execute  such  works  in  an  unin- 
habited place. 

It  is  thought  that  the  ruined  edifice  at 
Persepolis  is  a  temple  of  the  ancient  Persians, 
and  that  its  sculptured  subjects,  as  well  as 

*  "  Antiochus,  attempting  to[  rob  the  Temple  of  Jupiter,  in 
Elymais,  there  received  a  just  overthrow,  with  the  loss  of  his 
life,  and  ruin  of  his  whole  army.' — Fragments  ofDiod.  lib.  xxvi. 
s.  23;  1  Maccabees,  c.  vi.  v.  1 — 3. 

'  King  Antiochus  being  in  want  of  money,  and  hearing  there 
were  vast  treasures  of  gold  and  silver,  and  other  precious  jew- 
els, of  offerings  made  in  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  Belus,  in  Ely- 
mais, resolved  to  rifle  it.  Coming,  therefore,  into  the  province 
of  Elymais,  and  pretending  that  the  inhabitants  of  that  place 
had  raised  a  war  against  him,  he  robbed  the  temple,  and  got  to- 
gether a  great  sum  of  money ;  but  in  a  short  time  after,  the 
gods  executed  vengeance  upon  him  for  his  sacrilege.' — Frag. 
lib.  xxvi.  s.  34, 


RUINS    OF    PEESEPOLIS.  493 

style  of  architecture,  resemble,  in  many  par- 
ticulars, that  of  Egypt.  Among  these  may 
be  numbered  the  figures  divided  by  trees,^ 
the  sphynxes,  vases,  and  chairs,  the  doors 
and  architraves,  subterranean  passages  in  the 
tombs,  sarcophagi  and  urns,  and  a  square 
well  twenty-five  feet  deep  and  fifteen  square. 
The  sculpture  at  Persepolis  was  also  paint- 
ed, mostly  in  blue,  a  favourite  colour  of 
Egypt,  but  sometimes  in  black  and  in  yellow. 
Le  Brun  counted  thirteen  hundred  figures 
of  men  and  animals,  the  half  of  which  were 
large  as  life,  without  including  those  on  the 
tombs;  and  he  counted  the  fragments  of 
no  less  than  two  hundred  and  five  columns. 

The  opinion  of  these  ruins  being  the  re- 
mains of  the  palace  burnt  by  Alexander,  is 
founded  only  on  the  assertion  of  Quintus 
Curtius.     Diodorus   Siculus,   (lib.  xvii.)  says 


=^  It  would  appear  from  a  passage  of  Justin  >  that  there  was 
formerly  much  wood  about  this  place,  as  in  the  mention  he  makes 
of  the  stratagem  of  a  letter  being  conveyed  from  Harpagus  to 
Cyrus  in  a  hare's  belly,  and  of  the  messengers  arriving  safe  with 
it  to  the  city  of  Persepolis,  he  says: — *  The  people  being  there 
called  together,  he  commanded  all  of  them  to  be  ready  with 
their  hatchets  to  cut  down  the  wood  that  did  shut  up  the  way  ; 
which  when  they  had  cheerfully  performed,  he  invited  them  on 
the  next  day  to  a  dinner.' — Justin^  lib.  i. 


494  VISIT    TO    THE 

that  Alexander,  assembling  his  Macedonian 
followers,  observed  to  them  that  Persepolis, 
the  capital  of  Persia,  and  the  seat  of  its  kings, 
had  been  always  the  most  distinguished  city 
in  Asia  for  its  enmity  to  the  Greeks,  and 
that  he  therefore  abandoned  it  to  their  pil- 
lage, excepting  only  from  violation  the  palace 
of  the  King.^ 

According  to  Arrian,  it  was  the  castle  of 
Persepolis  which  Alexander  burnt ;  but  the 
ruins  here  in  no  way  correspond  with  the  de- 

*  The  following  is  the  description  given  by  Diodorus  Siculus 
of  the  destruction  of  this  city : — '  When  Alexander  marched 
from  Babylon  against  Persepolis,  on  approaching  it  he  met  a 
large  company  of  Grecians,  who  had  been  made  prisoners  by  the 
Persians,  and  most  inhumanly  mangled  and  disfigured,  by  the 
cutting  off  their  hands,  their  feet,  their  ears,  their  noses,  and 
which  excited  the  indignation  of  the  monarch,  and  drew  from 
him  both  tears  of  commiseration  and  more  substantial  proofs 
of  his  bounty.  When  Alexander  had,'  says  the  historian, 
*  according  to  his  natural  goodness  and  innate  generosity,  com- 
forted these  poor  miserable  people,  he  then  called  the  Mace- 
donians together,  and  told  them  that  Persepolis,  the  metropolis 
of  the  kingdom  of  Persia,  of  all  the  cities  of  Asia,  had  done 
most  mischief  to  the  Grecians ;  and  therefore  he  gave  it  up  to 
the  plunder  and  spoil  of  the  soldiers,  except  the  King's  palace. 
This  was  the  richest  city  of  any  under  the  sun  ;  and  for  many 
ages  all  the  private  houses  were  full  of  all  sorts  of  wealth,  and 
whatever  was  desirable. 

*  The  Macedonians  therefore,  forcing  into  the  city,  put  all 
the  men  to  the  sword,  and  rifled  and  carried  away  every  man's 


RUINS    OF    PERSEPOLIS.  495 

scription  of  the  castle,  as  given  by  Diodorus. 
This  castle  was  encompassed  by  three  walls, 
the  outer  one  constructed  with  immense  ex- 
pensej  sixteen  cubits  high,  and  accompanied 
by  all  that  could  contribute  to  strengthen 
it  as  a  defence.  The  second  was  like  the 
first,  but  double  its  height.  The  third,  or 
inner  one,  was  of  a  square  form,  sixty  cubits 
high,  and  constructed  of  so  hard  a  stone, 
and  in  such  a  way,  as  to  fit  it  to  endure 
for  centuries.     Each  side  of  this  square  had 


goods  and  estate,  amongst  which  was  abundance  of  rich  and 
costly  furniture,  and  ornaments  of  all  sorts.  In  this  place  were 
hurried  away,  here  and  there,  vast  quantities  of  silver,  and  no 
less  of  gold,  great  numbers  of  rich  garments,  some  of  purple, 
and  others  embroidered  with  gold  ;  all  which  became  a  plentiful 
prey  to  the  ravenous  soldiers.  For  though  every  place  was  full 
of  rich  spoil,  yet  the  covetousness  of  the  Macedonians  was  in- 
satiable, still  thirsting  after  more.  And  they  were  so  eager  in 
plundering,  that  they  fought  one  with  another  with  drawn 
swords,  and  many  who  were  conceived  to  have  got  a  greater 
share  than  the  rest,  were  killed  in  the  quarrel.  Some  things 
that  were  of  extraordinary  value  they  divided  with  their  swords, 
and  each  took  a  share.  Others,  in  rage,  cut  off  the  hands  of 
such  as  laid  hold  of  a  thing  that  was  in  dispute. 

*  They  first  ravished  the  women  as  they  were  in  their  jewels 
and  rich  attire,  and  then  sold  them  for  slaves.  So  that,  by 
how  much  Persepolis  excelled  all  the  other  cities  in  glory  and 
worldly  felicity,  by  so  much  more  was  the  measure  of  their 
misery  and  calamity.' — Lib.  xvii.  c.  8. 


496  VISIT    TO    THE 

gates  of  brass  and  palisades  of  the  same  me- 
tal, of  twenty  cubits  high,  for  their  defence  ; 
the  sight  of  which  was  alone  sufficient  to  in- 
spire terror  in  those  who  advanced  to  at- 
tack it.* 

The  ruins  now  seen,  correspond  neither 
with  those  of  a  palace  nor  a  castle  ;  and  are 
not  those,  therefore,  of  the  edifice  burnt  by 
Alexander,  On  all  these  remains,  no  mark 
of  fire  is  to  be  traced,  which  could  not  have 
been  the  case  if  this  had  been  the  principal 
agent  used  in  its  destruction.     Plutarch,  in 

*  *  This  stately  fabric,  or  citadel,  was  surrounded  by  a  treble 
wall.  The  first  was  sixteen  cubits  high,  adorned  by  many  sump- 
tuous buildings  and  aspiring  turrets :  the  second  was  like  to 
the  first,  but  as  high  again  as  the  other :  the  third  was  drawn 
like  a  quadrant,  four  square,  sixty  cubits  high,  all  of  the  hardest 
marble,  and  so  cemented  as  to  continue  for  ever.  On  the  four 
sides  are  brazen  gates ;  near  to  which  are  gallowses  of  brass» 
twenty  cubits  high  :  these  raised  to  terrify  the  beholders,  and 
the  other  for  the  better  strengthening  and  fortifying  of  the 
place.  On  the  east  side  of  the  citadel,  about  four  hundred  feet 
distant,  stood  a  mount,  called  the  Royal  Mount,  for  here  are 
all  the  sepulchres  of  the  kings;  many  apartments  and  little 
'cells  being  cut  into  the  midst  of  the  rock,  into  which  cells 
there  is  made  no  direct  passage  ;  but  the  coffins  with  the  dead 
bodies  are  by  instruments  hoisted  up,  and  so  let  down  into  these 
vaults.  In  this  citadel  were  many  stately  lodgings,  both  for  the 
King  and  his  soldiers,  of  excellent  workmanship,  and  treasury 
chambers  most  conveniently  contrived  for  the  laying  up  of 
money.' — Diod,  Sic.  lib.  xvii.  c.  8. 


RUINS    OF    PERSEPOLIS.  497 

his  Life  of  Alexander,  remarks  that  after  the 
burning  of  the  Temple  of  Diana,  at  Ephesus, 
it  was  necessary  to  scrape  the  parts  that  had 
resisted  the  fire,  which  took  away  so  much 
from  them  as  visibly  to  alter  their  propor- 
tions ;  so  that  the  marks  of  fire  would  be  as 
difficult  to  remove  here,  if  they  had  ever 
existed. 

There  are  appearances  at  Persepolis  of  five 
different  buildings  united  in  one,  and  each 
apparently  of  a  different  age,  after  the  man- 
ner of  the  Egyptians. 

The  books  of  the  Maccabees,  already  cited, 
say,  in  the  first,  that  there  was  a  rich  temple 
at  Persepolis ;  and  in  the  second,  that  An- 
tiochus  Epiphanes  determined  to  pillage  it. 
Alexander  therefore  could  not  have  destroyed 
it ;  for  it  is  highly  improbable,  from  the  his- 
tory of  those  times,  that  so  laboured  and 
magnificent  a  work  should  have  been  rebuilt 
and  restored  in  the  short  period  between 
Alexander  and  the  Syrian  king.  The  Ma- 
cedonian conqueror,  it  is  true,  might  have 
pillaged  it,  and  the  celebrity  of  the  divinity 
there  adored  might  have  drawn  to  it  again 
a  new  fund  of  treasures.  The  historian  of 
the  Maccabees  seems  indeed  more  occupied 

vol..  I.  2  k 


498  VISIT    TO    THE 

about  the  temple  than  the  city,  as  an  object 
of  much  higher  importance. 

Diodorus  and  Justin  agree  in  saying  that 
Antiochus  Epiphanes  having  learnt  that  a 
temple  of  Belus,  in  the  province  of  Elymais, 
(which  was  the  Jewish  name  for  this  place, 
from  their  name  of  the  country  of  Persia, 
Elam,)  contained  a  great  treasure,  he  entered 
it  during  the  night  and  carried  off  all  its 
riches."^ 

Others  assert  that  this  temple  was  conse- 
crated to  Diana.  Tacitus  (Ann.  3.  c.  62.) 
says  that  there  was  a  temple  of  that  goddess 
in  Persia ;  and  Strabo  adds,  that  one  of  the 
Parthian  kings  carried  off  from  it  two  thou- 
sand talents,  and  that  the  temple  was  called 
Zara.-f      All    these   authorities   prove,    that 

*  The  Elamiotse  of  Arrian  and  Nearchus  are  the  Elamites 
of  the  Scriptures.  It  is  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  Belus  in  Elymais 
which  Antiochus  the  Great  is  said  to  have  plundered,  and  where 
he  lost  his  life.  A  temple  of  Bel,  or  Baal,  it  might  be ;  but 
Jupiter  is  the  addition  of  the  Greeks. — Vincent's  Comfnerce  of  the 
Ancients f  (note,)  vol.  i.  p.  41 G. 

t  L6  Clerc,  in  his  criticism  on  Quintus  Curtius,  says,  '  It 
is  to  me  a  very  great  wonder  that  the  true  and  ancient  name 
of  the  capital  city  of  the  Persian  Empire  should  be  every  where 
suppressed,  and  the  Greek  appellation  of  Persepolis  substituted 
in  its  place ;  not  only  by  Quintus  Curtius,  but  by  all  other  an- 
cient authors ;  by  which  means  it  is  absolutely  lost.     Christo- 


IIUIMS    OF    PEllSEPOLIS.  499 

there  was  at  Persepolis,  long  after  Alexan- 
der's time,  a  famous  temple ;  and  the  ruins 
seen  here  at  the  present  day  may  be  well 
those  of  that  edifice,  composed  perhaps  of 
several  temples  dedicated  to  different  divi- 
nities on  the  same  spot.^ 

pher  Cellarius  was  of  opinion  that  the  name  thereof  was  Elajn, 
which  is  CzdV""!?,  in  his  notes  to  that  chapter  of  Curtius :  for  the 
country  adjacent  to  it  was  named  Elamais,  and  so  was  the  city 
too  by  the  author  of  the  Maccabees.  But  1  dare  not  subscribe 
to  his  judgment ;  and  if  I  might  be  allowed  to  declare  my  mind 
freely,  I  should  own  my  satisfaction  in  the  conjecture  of  Sir 
John  Chardin,  who,  in  his  Itineiarium  Persicum,  thinks  it  was 
called  Fars-abad,  or  Pars-abad,  which  is  the  habitation  of  the 
Persians  ;  for  it  is  unquestionable  that  the  Persians  called  them- 
selves DID  Pharas,  and  int<  Abad  signifies  a  habitation, — which 
now  is  often  substituted  in  the  composition  of  such  names  of 
towns  in  the  Persian  language.' — Rookes  Arrian,  c.  6,  s.  10. 
vol.  i.  p.  39. 

*  The  following  is  the  description  given  by  Diodorus  Siculus 
of  the  destruction  of  the  particular  temple  burnt  down  by 
Alexander.  '  Here  (at  Persepolis)  Alexander  made  a  sump- 
tuous feast  for  the  entertainment  of  his  friends  in  commemora- 
tion of  his  victory,  and  offered  magnificent  sacrifices  to  the 
gods.  At  this  feast  were  entertained  women  who  prostituted 
their  bodies  for  hire,  where  the  cups  went  so  high,  and  the  reins 
so  let  loose  to  drunkenness  and  debauchery,  that  many  were 
both  drunk  and  mad.  Among  the  rest  there  was  at  that  time 
a  courtezan  named  Thais,  an  Athenian,  who  said  Alexander 
would  perform  the  most  glorious  act  that  ever  he  did,  if,  while  he 
was  feasting  with  them,  he  would  burn  the  palace,  and  so  the 
glory  and  renown  of  Persia  might  be  said  to  be  brought  to  no- 


500       •  VISIT    TO    THE 

Chardin  thinks  that  two  centuries  were 
requisite  to  complete  the  works  seen  at  Per- 
sepolis  ;  and  M.  Le  Comte  de  Caylus  is  of 
the  same  opinion.  He  gives  them  an  anti- 
quity of  four  thousand  years,  but  merely 
from  conjecture,  without  any  historical  foun- 
dation. The  Count,  however,  thinks  they 
cannot  be  attributed  to  the  Persians  before 
Cyrus,  as  Herodotus  describes  the  Persians  of 

thing  in  a  moment  by  the  hands  of  women.  This  spreading 
abroad  and  coming  to  the  ears  of  the  young  men,  (who  com- 
monly make  little  use  of  reason  when  drink  is  in  their  heads,) 
presently  one  cries  out,  *  Come  on,  bring  us  firebrands !'  and  so 
incites  the  rest  to  fire  the  citadel,  to  revenge  that  impiety  the 
Persians  had  committed  in  destroying  the  temples  of  the  Gre- 
cians. At  this,  others  with  joy  set  up  a  shout,  but  said  so 
brave  an  exploit  belonged  only  to  Alexander  to  perform.  The 
King  stirred  up  at  these  words,  embraced  the  motion  ;  upon 
which,  as  many  as  were  present  left  their  cups,  and  leaped  from 
the  table,  and  said,  that  they  would  now  celebrate  a  victorious 
festival  to  Bacchus.  Hereupon,  multitudes  of  firebrands  were 
presently  got  together,  and  all  the  women  that  played  on  mu- 
sical instruments  which  were  at  the  feast  were  called  for ;  and 
then  the  King,  with  songs,  pipes,  and  flutes,  bravely  led  the 
way  to  this  noble  expedition,  contrived  and  managed  by  this 
courtezan  Tliais,  who  next  after  the  King  threw  the  first  fire- 
brand into  the  palace.  This  precedent  was  presently  followed 
by  the  rest ;  so  that  in  a  very  short  time  the  whole  fabric,  by  the 
violence  of  the  fire,  was  consumed  to  ashes.  It  is  very  observable 
(adds  the  historian)  and  not  without  just  admiration,  that  the 
sacrilege  and  impiety  of  Xerxes,  King  of  Persia,  (exercised  in 
his  destroying  the  citadel  of  Athens,)  should  so  many  years 


KUINS    OF    PERSEPOLIS.  501 

that  age  as  a  people  of  great  simplicity, 
having  neither  temples  nor  altars,  but  wor- 
shipping Jupiter  on  the  summits  of  the  high- 
est mountains.  Cyrus  himself  was  occupied 
with  his  foreign  conquests,  and  his  religious 
impressions  were  simple  and  austere,  conform- 
able to  his  own  education  and  the  manners 
of  his  country  ;  besides  which,  when  he  was 
in  a  condition  to  make  such  vast  expenditure 

after  be  revenged  in  the  same  kind  by  one  courtezan  only  of 
that  city  that  was  so  injured.' — Diod.  Sic.  lib.  17.  c.  8. 

Arrian  says  that  Alexander  burned  the  royal  palace  of  the 
Persian  monarch  much  against  the  will  of  Parmeneo,  who  en- 
treated him  to  leave  it  untouched,  not  only  because  it  was  im- 
proper to  spoil  and  destroy  what  he  had  gained  by  his  valour, 
but  that  he  would  thereby  disoblige  the  Asiatics,  and  render 
them  less  benevolent  to  him ;  for  they  would  then  suppose  he 
would  not  keep  Asia  in  his  possession,  but  abandon  it  as  soon 
as  it  was  conquered  and  laid  waste.  To  which  Alexander  made 
answer,  that  he  was  resolved  to  revenge  the  ancient  injuries  his 
country  had  received  by  the  Persians,  who,  when  they  arrived 
with  the  army  in  Greece,  subverted  Athens,  burned  their  temples, 
and  committed  many  other  barbarous  devastations  there.' — 
Rooke's  Arrian,  lib.  3.  c.  18. 

In  a  note  on  this  the  translator  says,  *  The  burning  of  Perse- 
polis,  Curtius  has  given  us  at  large^  (1.  5.  c.  7.)  and  affirms  that 
Thais,  a  noted  harlot,  was  the  first  proposer  of  setting  it  on  fire. 
Plutarch  gives  us  an  account  of  Thais,  but  he  tells  it  as  a  story 
which  in  all  likelihood  he  gave  little  credit  to.  That  the  royal 
palace  there  was  set  on  fire,  none  doubt ;  and  that  it  was  done 
by  design,  all  authors  agree  ;  but  the  story  of  Thais  is  delivered 
as  a  truth  by  none  but  himself  and  Diodorus  (c.  17.)     Curtius 


502  VISIT    TO    THE 

as  these  works  required,  Persepolis  was  no 
longer  the  royal  city,  but  Suza,  Ecbatana, 
and  Babylon,  became  the  residence  of  him 
and  his  successors. 

Diodorus  (lib.  11.)  informs  us,  that  Cam- 
byses,  son  of  Cyrus,  conquered  Egypt  in  the 
third  year  of  the  seventy-third  Olympiad, 
when  he  pillaged  the  country  and  burnt  the 
temples,  the  treasures  of  which  the  Persians 
carried  off  into  Asia,  where  they  led  away 
with  them  the  workmen  and  architects  of 
Egypt,  whom  they  caused  to  build  the  famous 
palace  of  Persepolis,  of  Susa,  and  of  several 
other  cities.  If,  then,  there  be  any  vestiges 
of  striking  resemblance  to  Egyptian  archi- 
tecture in  the  ruins  of  Persepolis  now,  we 
may  safely  fix  on  this  period  for  its  construc- 
tion by  these  captive  workmen  so  brought 
away. 

The  difficulties  against  this  supposition  are 

adds,  that  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  talents 
in  money  were  found  there  (1.  5.  c.  6.9);  though  Plutarch  seems 
not  to  allow  this  booty  in  money  to  be  richer  than  the  former 
at  Susa ;  but  adds,  that  of  other  movables  and  treasures  there 
were  seized  as  much  as  a  thousand  pair  of  mules  and  five 
hundred  camels  could  well  carry  away  (Vide  Plut.  Steph.  p.  24). 
That  the  name  of  Persepolis  was  given  this  place  by  the  Greeks, 
is  unquestionable.  Curtius  is  guilty  of  a  gross  error  (lib.  5.  c. 
7.  9.)  in  saying,  that   *  the  city  of  Persepolis  was  so  far  from 


KUINS    OF    PEKSEPOLIS.  503 

not  insurmountable.  It  is  true  that  Cam- 
byses  himself,  who  is  said  to  have  died  at 
Ecbatana,  on  Mount  Carmel,  in  Syria,  (Herod. 
1.  3.)  could  neither  have  begun  nor  finished 
these  works  in  person,  as  he  did  not  return 
home  after  his  conquests  ;  but  his  representa- 
tives in  Persia  might  have  done  so  in  his 
absence  after  the  arrival  of  the  Egyptian 
workmen.  Darius,  the  son  of  Hystaspes,  who 
succeeded  him,  might  have  completed  them. 

Cicero  says,  that  Xerxes,  his  son,  at  the 
instigation  of  the  Magi,  set  fire  to  the  tem- 
ples of  Greece,  on  the  principle  that  the  uni- 
verse was  the  Temple  of  the  Gods,  who  re- 
quired not  to  be  confined  within  walls  (De 
Leg.  1.  2.  and  10.)  But  though  this  might 
have  been  done  in  the  career  of  his  expedi- 
tion against  a  distant  country,  the  labours 
of  his  predecessors  might  in  the  mean  time 
have  been  untouched  at  home. 

being  rebuilt,  that  unless  the  river  Araxes  ran  near  it,  there  are 
not  left  the  least  signs  to  guess  where  it  stood,^  &c.  Yet,  neither 
Arrian  nor  Strabo,  nor  even  Diodorus,  whom  Curtius  commonly 
copies,  acquaints  us  with  the  burning  of  any  thing  but  the 
royal  palace.' 

Strabo  accords  with  Arrian  in  his  account  of  the  destruction 
of  Persepolis  (except  that  he  mentions  nothing  of  Thais).  The 
story  of  this  courtezan  persuading  Alexander  to  burn  the  palace, 
is  from  CVitarchns.—Athenceus,  lib.  13.  c.  5. 


504  JOURNEY    FROM 

The  period  between  Xerxes  and  Alexander, 
being  130  years,  has  been  thought  too  short 
for  such  a  work  as  the  edifices,  subterranean 
passages,  tombs,  &c.  of  Persepolis ;  but  if 
these  were  the  work  of  the  captive  Egyptians 
sent  over  by  Cambyses,  the  difficulty  vanishes, 
and  there  is  then  ample  time  for  the  whole 
to  have  been  completed  at  the  time  of  the 
Macedonian  conquest  of  Persia.* 

The  final  ruin  and  desertion  of  Persepolis 
is  said  not  to  have  happened  till  so  late  as  the 
year  982  of  the  Christian  era — or  372  of  the 
Hejira,  in  the  time  of  Sumeareh  ud  Dowla, 
the  unworthy  son  of  a  virtuous  and  victori- 
ous father.     Its  desolation  is  now  complete. 

At  noon  I  quitted  the  ruins  of  Persepolis, 
with  mingled  feelings  of  satisfaction  and  re- 
gret. We  now  went  south-west  over  the 
plain,  on  our  way  to  Zenghoor,  which  was 
said  to  be  five  fursucks  off,  intending  to  reach 
there  to-night,  and  make  a  short  stage  to 
Shiraz  to-morrow.  The  constant  impediment 
of  canals,  and  their  dry  beds,  occasioned  us 

*  See  the  Memoires  de  TAcademie  Royale  des  Inscriptions 
et  Belles  Lettres  ;  M6moire  sur  Persepolis,  par  le  Comte  Cay- 
lus ;  De  la  Croix's  Critical  Examination  of  the  Life  of  Alex- 
ander ;  and  the  Dabistan,  translated  from  the  Persian. 


PERSEPOLIS    TO    SHIRAZ.  505 

to  wander  about  for  a  long  time,  and  El  Assr 
was  passed  before  we  gained  the  village  of 
Kenarry.  Here  we  found  that  the  usual  road 
had  been  closed  up  by  culture  extending 
across  it,  and  the  ground  was  now  covered  with 
verdure.  We  turned  therefore  for  Kooshk, 
and  were  so  impeded  here  that  we  did  not 
reach  it  till  near  sunset,  our  horses  and  our- 
selves being  quite  knocked  up.  As  neither 
shelter  nor  corn  was  to  be  had  at  this  place, 
we  went  north-west  about  a  fursuck,  and 
found  both,  in  a  walled  village  called  Dehbid, 
where  we  halted. 

Oct.  S4th. — We  left  Dehbid  two  hours 
before  daylight,  as  we  had  a  long  stage  to 
perform ;  but  from  the  intersection  of  the 
roads  by  dry  beds  of  canals,  we  wandered 
considerably  from  a  straight  course,  and  our 
progress  was  proportionably  retarded.  When 
the  day  broke,  we  crossed  the  Bund  Ameer 
by  a  lofty  but  now  nearly  ruined  bridge. 
The  river's  bed  was  deep,  the  stream  rapid, 
and  flowing  to  the  south-east  through  the 
plain.  This  was  called,  by  the  natives,  Pola 
Khan.  The  Bund  Ameer  was  the  Araxes  of 
the  ancients,  though  not  that  which  led  into 
the  Caspian  Sea,  as  this  goes  into  the  Persian 

VOL.    I.  2    L 


506  JOURNEY    FROM 

Gulph.     It  was  formerly  within  the  city  of 
Persepolis. 

In  little  more  than  an  hour,  passing  over 
a  fine  small  plain  covered  with  flocks  and 
tents,  we  came  to  the  large  village  of  Zerrag- 
hoon,  seated  at  the  foot  of  a  steep  mass  of 
rock,  with  thatched  houses  and  sloping  roofs. 
We  halted  at  a  caravansera  here,  for  two 
hours,  to  repose,  and  set  out  again  about 
noon  ;  after  which  we  got  into  a  rugged 
country  of  bare  hills  and  uninteresting  aspect. 

About  four  o'clock  we  came  to  a  small 
place  called  Rader  Khoneh,  where  a  fine  new 
caravansera  was  building  at  the  foot  of  a  steep 
hill.  In  an  hour  more,  passing  over  rugged 
roads,  we  drank  at  the  small  stream  of  Ruk- 
nabad,  so  celebrated  by  Hafiz  and  Sir  William 
Jones,  which  furnishes  the  best  water  to  Shi- 
raz  ;  and  in  another  hour  we  came  in  sight 
of  the  city  itself 

The  first  approach  to  Shiraz  is  interest- 
ing, as  the  view  is  sudden ;  and  the  town 
appears  to  burst  on  the  traveller  from  a  fine 
plain  below,  partly  seen  through  a  romantic 
opening  of  the  hills. 

We  descended  here  through  a  formerly 
fortified  pass,  called  'Tenga  Allah  Ackbar.' 


PERSEPOLIS    TO    SHIRAZ.  507 

After   this,   we   passed   through   a   fine   old 
gate,  which  has   been  drawn  by    Le  Brun, 
and  from  which  is  a  very  beautiful  view  of 
the  great  road  to  Shiraz :  this  gate  is  now 
in  ruins.     Going  along  a  broad  road,  we  had 
on  our  right   the  new  gardens   and   palace 
of  the  Shah  Zade,  and  the  Takht-e-Kudjer, 
another    royal   seat ;    and   on    our  left   the 
Bagh-e- Vakeel,  Hafizeea,  Dervishes'  gardens, 
&c. — forming  altogether  a  beautiful  prospect. 
Further  on,  we  passed  the  fine  tomb  of  Shah 
Ameer  Hamza,  son  of  the  Imaum  Moosa ; 
and  crossing  a  bridge  over  the  dry  bed  of  a 
river,  we  entered  Shiraz  before  dark.     We 
were  detained  inside  the  gateway,  and  strict 
enquiries  were  made  whether  I  was  a  Moslem 
or  not.     It  was  at  length  concluded  that  I 
was  a  Chaoush,    or  Reis  el  Zuwar,  a  chief 
of  pilgrims,  which  was  sufficient  to  ensure 
safety  and  respect. 

I  went  straight  from  hence,  to  the  house 
of  Jaffier  Ali  Khan,  an  Indian  nobleman,  to 
whom  I  had  letters  ;  but  the  servants  repre- 
senting me  to  their  master,  who  was  inside,  as 
an  Arab  Sheikh,  he  did  not  know  my  real 
condition ;   and  as  it  was  now  late,  we  were 


508    JOURNEY    FROM    PERSEPOLIS    TO    SHIRAZ. 

desired  to  call  to-morrow.  We  accordingly 
went,  and  found  a  good  room  in  the  Cara- 
vansera  Hindoo,  where  all  the  Indians  who 
are  not  Moslems  generally  put  up  at  Shiraz. 


END    OF   IPHE    FIRST    VOLUME. 


LONDON : 
PRINTED    BY    SAMUEL    BENTLEY, 

Dorset-Street,  Fleet- street. 


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